Arithmetic Grade Five
Lesson Thirty-eight: Word Problems
Little Jimmy owes his parents $30 for a window he broke while playing in the
backyard. He works off $17 dollars of his debt by doing yardwork. How much
money does he still owe?
We can represent the amount Jimmy owes with a negative number and the amount
he earns with a positive number. So, Jimmy owes $13.
Next Jimmy wants to go to the movies with a friend. Jimmy promises that he
will pay his parents back and so they loan him $5.
We start with the amount of Jimmy's debt. Then we add the loan to his total
debt. The loan is represented as a negative number since it is money he will
have to pay back. Now Jimmy owes $18.
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