What Are Applied Math Problems?

What are Math Application Problems?

• Parents and students often hear the terms "applied math" or math application problems, particularly in reference to standardized testing. The math portion of a typical standardized test is usually broken down into math procedures and math application problems. Math application problems are those which require the student to make decisions about which procedures to use in order to solve a problem. Math application problems can be distinguished from procedure problems by their appearance: application problems are lengthier and are written in a specific format.

What Do Math Application Problems Look Like?

• Math application problems are written in paragraph form with a question at the end of the paragraph. The numbers used to solve the problem are found within the paragraph. The student must determine by reading the problem which mathematical procedures he needs to use to solve for the answer. Standardized tests attempt to present problems that apply to common situations the student would encounter such as buying items, comparing amounts or measuring objects.

How Does the Student Approach Solving Math Application Problems?

• First of all, a student should have sufficient reading skills to understand the wording of the problem. He should read the paragraph completely through to grasp what the problem is that needs to be solved. Then he should notice the wording of the question carefully. Oftentimes, key words will give a clue as to how a problem can be approached. If the question asks for a total, there will be addition or multiplication involved. If the question asks for an average, the student would know to add, then divide by the number of items added. If the problem involves finding a difference between two quantities, subtraction will be used.

What Can the Student Watch Out For?

• Sometimes the writers of application problems will include unnecessary information in the paragraph. The student must be able to discern what facts and numbers are needed to solve this particular problem. Also, many problems require more than one mathematical procedure to get to the answer. By reading slowly and carefully, the student can work through one part of the problem at a time to get to the final answer.