Applied Problem Solving
📋 What it is
Use ratios and percents in multi-step real problems.
🗣️ Coach says
Applied problems chain the tools: find a unit rate, scale it with a proportion, maybe add a percent. "Best deal, then 10% off" needs two steps. Read carefully, pick the tool for each step, and check it makes sense.
🧠 Memory hook
Break it into steps: unit rate? proportion? percent? Do them in order and sanity-check.
😂 Giggle
Why did the scale model feel small?
Because it was only a fraction of the real thing — but perfectly proportional!
😲 Whoa!
Comparison-shopping apps run these multi-step ratio calculations for you in a fraction of a second.
✅ Quick check: A $60 jacket is 25% off, then you pay 10% tax on the sale price. What's a good order?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Take 25% off first ($45), then add 10% tax ($4.50) → $49.50.
Discount then tax; each step feeds the next.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Find the final price of a $20 item at 50% off with 10% tax (discount first, then tax).