Two-Step Word Problem (Buy & get change)

Free interactive math game: Two-Step Word Problem — Buy & get change. Part of the Addition & Subtraction category on MathKite.

Example problems

Taken from the generator that powers this exercise. A fresh set appears every time the page is opened, and the printable worksheet holds ten of them.

  1. Lily has 2 times as much money as Sara, plus $12. Together they have $42. How much does Sara have?
  2. Emma has 4 times as much money as Tom, plus $13. Together they have $118. How much does Tom have?
  3. Tom has 4 times as much money as Ben, plus $4. Together they have $79. How much does Ben have?
  4. Emma has 2 times as much money as Sara, plus $7. Together they have $22. How much does Sara have?

About this exercise

Solving a story that needs two calculations rather than one.

How to solve it

Deal with the extra amount first so that what remains splits evenly, then share out the rest.

Worked example

If one person has 4 times what the other has plus 8, and together they have 48, remove the 8 to leave 40, which splits into 5 equal parts of 8.

Common mistake

Stopping after the first step. The number you get halfway through is rarely the answer to the question asked.