Mathematics in Context - Comparing Quantities

Comparing
Quantities
Algebra
Mathematics in Context is a comprehensive curriculum for the middle grades.
It was developed in 1991 through 1997 in collaboration with the Wisconsin Center
for Education Research, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison and
the Freudenthal Institute at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, with the
support of the National Science Foundation Grant No. 9054928.
The revision of the curriculum was carried out in 2003 through 2005, with the
support of the National Science Foundation Grant No. ESI 0137414.
National Science Foundation

Opinions expressed are those of the authors
and not necessarily those of the Foundation.
Kindt, M., Abels, M., Dekker, T., Meyer, M. R., Pligge M. A., & Burrill, G. (2006).
Comparing Quantities. In Wisconsin Center for Education Research & Freudenthal
Institute (Eds.), Mathematics in Context. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Copyright © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
All rights reserved.

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ISBN 0-03039627-1
1 2 3 4 5 6 073 09 08 07 06 05
The Mathematics in Context Development Team
Development 1991–1997
The initial version of Comparing Quantities was developed by Martin Kindt and Mieke Abels. It was
adapted for use in American schools by Margaret R. Meyer, and Margaret A. Pligge.
Wisconsin Center for Education Freudenthal Institute Staff

Research Staff
Thomas A. Romberg Joan Daniels Pedro Jan de Lange
Director Assistant to the Director Director
Gail Burrill Margaret R. Meyer Els Feijs Martin van Reeuwijk
Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator
Project Staff
Jonathan Brendefur Sherian Foster Mieke Abels Jansie Niehaus
Laura Brinker James A, Middleton Nina Boswinkel Nanda Querelle
James Browne Jasmina Milinkovic Frans van Galen Anton Roodhardt
Jack Burrill Margaret A. Pligge Koeno Gravemeijer Leen Streefland
Rose Byrd Mary C. Shafer Marja van den Adri Treffers
Peter Christiansen Julia A. Shew Heuvel-Panhuizen Monica Wijers
Barbara Clarke Aaron N. Simon Jan Auke de Jong Astrid de Wild
Doug Clarke Marvin Smith Vincent Jonker
Beth R. Cole Stephanie Z. Smith Ronald Keijzer
Fae Dremock Mary S. Spence Martin Kindt
Mary Ann Fix
Revision 2003–2005
The revised version of Comparing Quantities was developed by Mieke Abels and Truus Dekker.
It was adapted for use in American schools by Gail Burrill.
Wisconsin Center for Education Freudenthal Institute Staff

Research Staff
Thomas A. Romberg David C. Webb Jan de Lange Truus Dekker
Director Coordinator Director Coordinator
Gail Burrill Margaret A. Pligge Mieke Abels Monica Wijers
Editorial Coordinator Editorial Coordinator Content Coordinator Content Coordinator
Project Staff
Sarah Ailts Margaret R. Meyer Arthur Bakker Nathalie Kuijpers
Beth R. Cole Anne Park Peter Boon Huub Nilwik
Erin Hazlett Bryna Rappaport Els Feijs Sonia Palha
Teri Hedges Kathleen A. Steele Dédé de Haan Nanda Querelle
Karen Hoiberg Ana C. Stephens Martin Kindt Martin van Reeuwijk
Carrie Johnson Candace Ulmer
Jean Krusi Jill Vettrus
Elaine McGrath
(c) 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Mathematics in Context
and the Mathematics in Context Logo are registered trademarks
of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Cover photo credits: (left to right) © PhotoDisc/Getty Images;

© Corbis; © Getty Images
Illustrations
1 Holly Cooper-Olds; 2 (top), 3 © Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.;
23, 29 (left) Holly Cooper-Olds
Photographs
4 (counter clockwise) PhotoDisc/Getty Images; © Stockbyte;
© Ingram Publishing; © Corbis; © PhotoDisc/Getty Images;
6, 7 Victoria Smith/HRW; 10 Sam Dudgeon/HRW Photo;
16 © Corbis; 21 © Stockbyte/HRW; 23 PhotoDisc/Getty Images;
25 (left column top to bottom) © Corbis; PhotoDisc/Getty Images;
© Corbis; 28 Victoria Smith/HRW; 30 PhotoDisc/Getty Images
Contents
Letter to the Student vi
Section A Compare and Exchange

Bartering 1
Farmer’s Market 2
Thirst Quencher 2
Tug-of-War 3
Summary 4
Check Your Work 4
Section B Looking at Combinations
The School Store 6
Workroom Cabinets 10
Puzzles 13
Summary 14
Check Your Work 14
Section C Finding Prices
Price Combinations 16
Summary 20
Check Your Work 20
$50.00
Section D Notebook Notation
Chickens 22
Mario’s Restaurant 23
Chickens Revisited 24
Sandwich World 25
Summary 26
Check Your Work 26
Section E Equations
The School Store Revisited 28
Hats and Sunglasses 29
Return to Mario’s 30
Tickets 31
Summary 32 ORDER TACO SALAD DRINK TOTAL
1 1 — 2 $ 3.00
Check Your Work 32 2 2 1 4 $ 8.00
3 — 4 4 $ 11.00
4
Additional Practice 34 5
6
Answers to Check Your Work 39 7
Contents v
Dear Student,
Welcome to Comparing Quantities.
In this unit, you will compare quantities such as prices, weights,

and widths.
You will learn about trading and

exchanging things in order to
develop strategies to solve $50.00
problems involving combinations

of items and prices.
$50.00
Combination charts and the notebook notation will help you

find solutions.
Combination Chart
3
ORDER TACO SALAD DRINK TOTAL
Number of Pencils
1 1 — 2 $ 3.00
2 55 1
2 2 4 $ 8.00
3 — 4 4 $ 11.00
1 15 40 65 4
5
6
0 0 25 7
0 1 2 3
Number of Erasers
In the end, you will have learned important ideas about algebra and
several new ways to solve problems. You will see how pictures can
help you think about a problem, how to use number patterns, and
will develop some general ways to solve what are called “systems
of equations” in math.
Sincerely,
The Mathematics in Context Development Team
vi Comparing Quantities
A
Compare and Exchange
Bartering
A long time ago money did not exist. People lived in small
communities, grew their own crops, and raised animals such as
cattle and sheep. What did they do if they needed something they
didn’t produce themselves? They traded something they produced
for the things their neighbors produced. This method of exchange
is called bartering.
Paulo lives with his family

in a small village. His family
needs corn. He is going to
the market with two sheep
and one goat to barter, or
exchange, them for bags
of corn.
First he meets Aaron, who says, “I only trade salt for

chickens. I will give you one bag of salt for every two
chickens.”
“But I don’t have any chickens,” thinks Paulo, “so I
can’t trade with Aaron.”
Later he meets Sarkis, who tells him, “I will give you

two bags of corn for three bags of salt.”
Paulo thinks, “That doesn’t help me either.”
Then he meets Ranee. She

will trade six chickens for a
goat, and she says, “My
sister, Nina, is willing to
give you six bags of salt for
every sheep you have.”
Paulo is getting confused. His family wants him to go home with bags
of corn, not with goats or sheep or chickens or salt.
1. Show what Paulo can do.
Section A: Compare and Exchange 1
A Compare and Exchange
Farmer’s Market
2. How many bananas do you need to balance the third scale?
Explain your reasoning.
10 bananas 2 pineapples 1 pineapple 2 bananas 1 apple

1 apple
3. How many carrots do you need to balance the third scale?

6 carrots 1 ear of corn 1 ear of corn 2 peppers 1 pepper

1 pepper
Thirst Quencher
4. How many cups of liquid can
you pour from one big bottle? 6
4
2 Comparing Quantities
Compare and Exchange A
Tug-of-War
Four oxen are as strong as five horses.
An elephant is as strong as one ox and two horses.
5. Which animals will win the tug-of-war below? Give a reason for
your prediction.

A Compare and Exchange
These problems could be solved using fair exchange. In this section,

problems were given in words and pictures. You used words, pictures,
and symbols to explain your work.
Delia lives in a community where people trade goods they produce

for other things they need. Delia has some fish that she caught, and
she wants to trade them for other food. She hears that she can trade
fish for melons, but she wants more than just melons. So she decides
to see what else is available.
This is what she hears:

• For five fish, you can get two melons.
• For four apples, you can get one loaf of bread.
• For one melon, you can get one ear of corn and two apples.
• For 10 apples, you can get four melons.
1. Rewrite or draw pictures to represent the information so that it is
easier to use.
2. Use the information to write two more statements about
exchanging apples, melons, corn, fish, and bread.
3. Delia says, “I can trade 10 fish for 10 apples.” Is this true? Explain.
4. Can Delia trade three fish for one loaf of bread? Explain why or
why not.
5. Explain how Delia can trade her fish for ears of corn.
Explain how to use exchanging to solve a problem.

B
Looking at Combinations
The School Store
Monica and Martin are responsible for
the school store. The store is open all
day for students to buy supplies.
Unfortunately, Monica and Martin can’t
be in the store all day to take students’
money, so they use an honor system.
Pencils and erasers are available for
students to purchase on the honor
system. Students leave exact change
in a small locked box to pay for their
purchases. Erasers cost 25¢ each, and
pencils cost 15¢ each.
1. One day Monica and Martin find
$1.10 in the locked box. How many
pencils and how many erasers
have been purchased?
2. On another day there is $1.50 in

the locked box. Monica and Martin
cannot decide what has been
purchased. Why?
3. Find another amount of money

that would make it impossible to
know what has been purchased.
Looking at Combinations B
Monica wants to make finding the total price of pencils and erasers
easier, so she makes two price lists: one for different numbers of
erasers and one for different numbers of pencils.
4. Copy and complete the price lists for the erasers and the pencils.
Erasers Price Pencils Price
0 $0.00 0 $0.00
1 $0.25 1 $0.15
2 $0.50 2 $0.30
3 $0.75 3
4 $1.00 4
5 $1.25 5
6 6
7 7
One day the box has $1.05 in it.

5. Show how Monica can use her lists
to determine how many pencils
and erasers have been bought.
Monica and Martin aren’t satisfied.

Although they now have these two
lists, they still have to do many
calculations. They are trying to think
of a way to get all the prices for all the
combinations of pencils and erasers
in one chart.
6. Reflect What suggestions can you
make for combining the two lists?
Discuss your ideas with your class.
Section B: Looking at Combinations 7

B Looking at Combinations
Monica and Martin come up with the Combination Chart

idea of a combination chart. Here you
see part of their chart.
3
Number of Pencils
7. a. What does the 40 in the chart
represent? 2
b. How many combinations of
erasers and pencils can 1 15 40
Monica and Martin show
in this chart? 0 0 25
0 1 2 3
If you extend this chart, as shown
below, you can show more Number of Erasers
combinations.
Use the combination chart on Student Activity Sheet 1 to solve the

following problems.
Costs of Combinations (in cents)

Number of Pencils
1 15 40
0 0 25
0 1 2 3
Number of Erasers
8. Fill in the white squares with the prices of the combinations.
9. Circle the price of two erasers and three pencils.
Use the number patterns in your completed combination chart on

Student Activity Sheet 1 to answer problems 10–16.
10. a. Where do you find the answer to problem 1 ($1.10) in the
chart?
b. How many erasers and how many pencils can be bought
for $1.10?
11. a. Reflect What happens to the numbers in
Number of Pencils
the chart as you move along one
of the arrows shown in the diagram?
b. Reflect Does the answer vary according
to which arrow you choose? Explain
your reasoning. Number of Erasers
12. What does moving along an arrow mean in terms of the numbers
of pencils and erasers purchased?
13. a. Mark on your chart a move from one square to another that
represents the exchange of one pencil for one eraser.
b. How much does the price change from one square to another?
14. a. Mark on your chart a move from one square to another that
represents the exchange of one eraser for two pencils.
b. How much does the price change for this move?
15. Describe the move shown in charts a and b below in terms of the
exchange of erasers and pencils.
a b
Number of Pencils
Number of Pencils
Number of Erasers Number of Erasers
16. There are many other moves and patterns in the chart. Find at
least two other patterns. Use different color pencils to mark
them on your chart. Describe each pattern you find.

Workroom Cabinets
Anna and Dale are going to remodel a workroom. They want to put
new cabinets along one wall of the room. They start by measuring
the room and drawing this diagram.
330 cm
Window
315 cm
Door
Anna and Dale find out that the cabinets come in two different widths:
45 centimeters (cm) and 60 cm.
17. How many of each cabinet do Anna and Dale need in order for
the cabinets to fit exactly along the wall that measures 315 cm?
Try to find more than one possibility.
45 cm 60 cm
330 cm Anna and Dale wonder how they can design cabinets
for the longer wall.
The cabinet store has a convenient chart. The chart
makes it easy to find out how many 60-cm and 45-cm
Window
315 cm
cabinets are needed for different wall lengths.

18. Explain how Anna and Dale can use the chart to
find the number of cabinets they need for the
longer wall in the workroom.
Door
Lengths of Combinations (in cm)
11 495 555
10 450 510 570
9 405 465 525 585
8 360 420 480 540

Number of Short Cabinets
7 315 375 435 495 555
6 270 330 390 450 510 570
5 225 285 345 405 465 525 585
4 180 240 300 360 420 480 540
3 135 195 255 315 375 435 495 555
2 90 150 210 270 330 390 450 510 570
1 45 105 165 225 285 345 405 465 525
0 0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number of Long Cabinets

19. Can the cabinet store provide

cabinets to fit a wall that is
exactly 4 meters (m) long?
Explain your answer. Wall
If cabinets don’t fit exactly, the

cabinet store sells a strip to fill
the gap. Most customers want
the strip to be as small as possible.
20. What size strip is necessary
for cabinets along a 4-m wall? Strip
The chart has been completed to only 585 cm because longer rows of
cabinets are not purchased often. However, one day an order comes
in for cabinets to fit a wall exactly 6 m long. One possible way to fill
this order is 10 cabinets of 60 cm each.
21. Reflect What are other possibilities for a cabinet arrangement
that will fit a 6-m wall? Note that although you do not see 600 in
the chart, you can still use the chart to find the answer. How?
Lengths of Combinations (in cm) On the left is a part of the cabinet

combination chart.
7 315 375 435 495 555 22. What is special about the
move shown by the arrow?
6 270 330 390 450 510 570
Number of Short Cabinets
23. If you start in another square

5 225 285 345 405 465 525 585 in this chart and you make
the same move, what do you
4 180 240 300 360 420 480 540 notice? How can you explain
this?
3 135 195 255 315 375 435 495 555
2 90 150 210 270 330 390 450 510
1 45 105 165 225 285 345 405 465
0 0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Number of Long Cabinets
Puzzles
24. Complete the puzzles on Student Activity Sheet 2.
a b
37
27
18
0 5 0
c d
20 35
24 55
0 0

A combination chart can help you

Combination Chart
compare quantities. A combination
chart gives a quick view of many
combinations. 3
Number of Pencils
Discovering patterns within
combination charts can make 2 55
your work easier by allowing
you to discover patterns and
extend the chart in any direction. 1 15 40 65
Charts can be used to solve

0 0 25
many problems, as you studied
in “The School Store” and 0 1 2 3
“Workroom Cabinets.” In this chart
Number of Erasers
the arrow represents the exchange
of one pencil for one eraser.
Numbers of Tickets This year the school fair has

two rides. The Loop-D-Loop
8 costs five tickets, and the
7 Whirlybird costs two tickets.
Whirlybird Rides
6
Number of
5 1. In your notebook, copy the

combination chart that
4
shows how many tickets
3 6 are needed for different
2 4 9 combinations of these two
1 2 7 12 rides. Complete the chart
0 0 5 10 15 as necessary to solve the
word problems.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of
Loop-D-Loop Rides
2. How many tickets are needed for two rides on the Loop-D-Loop
and three rides on the Whirlybird?
3. Janus has 19 tickets. How can she use these tickets for both rides
so that she has no leftover tickets?
4. a. On your combination chart, mark a move from one square

to another that represents the exchange of one ride on the
Whirlybird for two rides on the Loop-D-Loop.
b. How much does the number of tickets as described in 4a,
change as you move from one square to another?
5. Use the combination chart on

Student Activity Sheet 3. 50 52 54 56 58 60
a. Write a story problem that uses 40 42 44 46 48 50
the combination chart.
b. Label the bottom and left side
30 32 34 36 38 40
of your chart. Give the chart a
20 22 24 26 28 30
title and include the units.
c. What do the circled numbers 10 12 14 16 18 20
represent in your story problem?
0 2 4 6 8 10
Do you think combination charts will always have a horizontal and

vertical pattern? Why or why not? What about a pattern on the
diagonal?

C
Finding Prices
Price Combinations
So far you have studied two strategies
for solving problems that involve
combinations of items. The first
strategy, exchanging, applied to the
problems about trading food at the
beginning of the unit. The second
strategy was to make a combination
chart and use number patterns found
in the chart.
In this section, you will apply the
strategy of exchanging to solve
problems involving the method
of fair exchange.
Use the drawings below to answer problems 1–3.

1. Without knowing the price of a pair of sunglasses
or a pair of shorts, can you determine which item
is more expensive? Explain.
2. How many pairs of shorts can you buy for $50?
3. What is the price of one pair of sunglasses? Explain your

reasoning.
$50.00
$50.00
Finding Prices C
4. What is the price of one umbrella? One cap?
$80.00
$80.00
$76.00
Sean bought two T-shirts and one sweatshirt for a total of $30. When
he got home, he regretted his purchase. He decided to exchange one
T-shirt for an additional sweatshirt.
Sean made the exchange, but he had to pay $6 more because the
sweatshirt is more expensive than the T-shirt.
5. What is the price of each item? Explain your reasoning.
Josh spent $8 to buy

four clipboards and
$8.00
eight pencils.
Denise spent $7 to buy

$7.00 three clipboards and
10 pencils.
Denise wants to trade Josh two pencils for a clipboard.

6. Is the trade a fair exchange? If not, who has to pay the difference,
and how much is it?
7. What is the price of a pencil? What is the price of a clipboard?

Section C: Finding Prices 17
C Finding Prices
You can use a chart to solve some of these shopping problems.

This combination chart represents the problem of the caps and the
umbrellas (page 17).
8. Complete this chart on Student Activity Sheet 4. Then find the
prices of one cap and one umbrella. Is this the same answer you
found for problem 4 on page 17?
Costs of Combinations
(in dollars)
Number of Umbrellas 5
2 80
1 76
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Caps
9. Study the two pictures of sunglasses and shorts. Use one of the
extra charts on Student Activity Sheet 4 to make a combination
chart for these items. Label your chart. What is the price of one
pair of sunglasses? One pair of shorts?
$50.00
$50.00
At Doug’s Discount Store, all CDs are one price; all DVDs are
another price.
David buys three CDs and two DVDs for $67.
Joyce buys two CDs and four DVDs for $90.
10. What is the price of one CD? One DVD? You may use any strategy.
Finding Prices C
On a visit to Quinn’s Quantities, Rashard finds the prices for various

combinations of peanuts and raisins.
• A mixture of 3 cups of peanuts

and 2 cups of raisins costs $3.30.
• A mixture of 4 cups of peanuts
and 3 cups of raisins costs $4.55.
11. What does Rashard pay for a mixture of 5 cups of peanuts and
2 cups of raisins? You may use any strategy.
12. Reflect Create your own shopping problem. Solve the problem
yourself, and then ask someone else to solve it. Have the person
explain to you how he or she found the solution.
In solving shopping problems, you have used exchanging and

combination charts. Joe studied the problem below and used a
different strategy.
Follow Joe’s strategy to see how he found the price of each candle.
13. Explain Joe’s reasoning.
Joe
$7.30
...................................... $1.70
.................. $5.10
...................................... $2.20
............................................ $1.10
$3.40
............................................ $0.60

C Finding Prices
You can use different strategies to solve shopping problems.

If you can find a pattern in a picture, you can use the fair exchange
method. To do so, continue exchanging until a single item is left so
you can find its price. If not, combining information may help you
find the price of a single item.
Another strategy is to make a combination chart and look for a pattern
in the prices. Use the pattern to find the price of a single item. You
may also use the fair exchange method with a combination chart.
1. Felicia and Kenji want to buy

candles. The candles are available
in different combinations of sizes.
$4.20
a. Without calculating prices,
determine which is more
expensive, the short or the tall
candle.
b. What is the difference in price
between one short and one tall
candle?
$4.35
c. Draw a new picture that shows
another combination of short
and tall candles. Write the price
of the combination.
d. What is the price of a single
short candle?
2. Roberto bought two drinks and two bagels for $6.60.
Anne bought four drinks and three bagels for $11.70.
Use a combination chart to find the cost of a single drink.
3. The prices of drinks and bagels have changed.

a. Use any strategy to find the new cost of a drink.
b. How much is a single bagel now?
$5.80
$10.20
Write several sentences describing the differences between using

the method of fair exchange and using combination charts to solve
problems.

D
Notebook Notation
Chickens
Three chickens weighed themselves in different combinations.
1. What should the scale read in the fourth picture?
2. Show how to find out how many kilograms (kg) each chicken
weighs.
Notebook Notation D
Mario’s Restaurant
Mario runs a Mexican restaurant, and he is very busy. He moves from

one table to another, writing down all the orders. You can see below
how he writes the orders on his order pad.
3. Some of the orders do not

have total prices indicated.
What are the prices of ORDER TAC
O SALAD D
RINK TOTAL
these orders? 1 2 4 --
2
1 2
$ 10
3
3 3 -- $8
4. Make up two new orders 3
4
1 2 --
$9
and write them in your 5 1 --
notebook. Fill in the prices 6 1
2 2
of these orders. 7 1
4 2
8 3
9
5. What is the price of 10
each item?
Section D: Notebook Notation 23

D Notebook Notation
Chickens Revisited
The way Mario wrote the orders in his notebook gave him a good
overview of many combinations. Such notation can also be applied
to other problems. If you apply
Mario’s notebook notation
to the chicken problems,
you might come up with
this chart. Size of Chicken
Number of Each
Weight
M L (in kg)
S
1 10.6
0 1
1 8.5
1 0
0 6.1
1 1
S is the weight of the small chicken.

M is the weight of the medium chicken.
L is the weight of the large chicken.
6. How can you find the total weight of the three chickens by using
notebook notation?
7. Make new combinations until you find the weight of each chicken.
Notebook Notation D
Sandwich World
Here are some orders that were served at Sandwich World today.
You can write these orders in notebook notation.
Order Apples Milk Sandwich Total
1 1 0 1 $ 3.40
2 0 1 1 $ 4.20
3 1 1 0 $ 2.80
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
8. In your own notebook,

$3.40 make new combinations
until you can determine
the price of each item.
$4.20
$2.80

D Notebook Notation
In this section, you explored notebook notation as a good way to get

an overview of the information contained in a problem. You can make
new combinations in a notebook by:
• adding rows;
• finding the difference between rows; and
• doubling or halving rows; and so on.
The new combinations you create can help you find solutions to new
problems.
You can write these combinations of fruits in notebook notation.
1. In your own notebook, make new combinations until you find

the price of each item.
Price of Combinations
$1.30
Apple Banana Pear Price
0 1 1 $ 1.30
$1.10
$1.20
2. Study the following notebook showing lunch orders at
Mario’s restaurant.
a. Find the cost of one salad.
Explain how you got your
ORDER TACO SALAD DRINK TOTAL
answer.
1 1 — 2 $ 3.00
b. How can you find the cost
2 2 1 4 $ 8.00
of one drink? One taco?
3 — 4 4 $ 11.00
4
5
6
7
3. Can you solve problem 2 by using a combination chart?

Why or why not?
Write a description to tell an adult in your family about all of the ways
you have learned so far in this unit to solve problems. Show him or
her examples of what you have learned.

E
Equations
The School Store Revisited
The prices of pencils and
erasers have changed, so
Martin and Monica have to
make a new price chart.
Student Activity Sheet 5
contains a combination
chart for you to complete.
Information about the number in the picture above can be expressed

in a formula. This formula is also called an equation.
2E 3P 130
1. a. What does the letter E in this equation represent? What does
the letter P represent?
b. Describe in words the meaning of this equation.
Prices of Combinations 2. What number belongs in the empty

(in cents) circle? Write an equation representing
this situation.
7
6 3. Use Student Activity Sheet 5 to write
Number of Pencils
5
the information from the two equations
in notebook notation.
4
3 130 4. Monica tells you that 1E 2P 75.
Express this information in both the
2
combination chart and the notebook
1 notation on Student Activity Sheet 5.
0
5. Find the new price for a single eraser
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
and a single pencil. You may use either
Number of Erasers notebook notation or the combination
chart.
Equations E
Hats and Sunglasses
$109
$101
6. Each of these pictures can be replaced by an equation. Write the

two equations, using the symbol H for the price of a hat and the
symbol S for the price of a pair of sunglasses.
7. Write an equation that shows the total price of one hat and four
pairs of sunglasses.
8. What is the price of one pair of sunglasses? What is the price of

one hat? Show how you found these prices.
Prices of Combinations Here is another chart that represents the prices

(in dollars) of combinations of two items.
9. Write an equation in which the price of one

Number of Second Item
5 40
item is A and the price of the other item is B
4 32 for each of the circled numbers. You should
(Price B)
3 24 have five different equations.

2 16 10. Make up a price for each item so that price
1 8 A is higher than price B. Use your prices to
complete the chart in your notebook.
0 0
11. Reflect Do you think all of the students in
0 1 2 3 4 5
your class have the same numbers in their
Number of First Item charts? Explain why or why not.
(Price A)
12. Now you can make many equations based
on the information in your chart. Write
three equations.
Section E: Equations 29
E Equations
Return to Mario’s
Some prices in Mario’s restaurant have changed.
You now have to pay $6.50 if you order one taco,
two salads, and one drink. You pay $11.50 for one
taco, four salads, and three drinks. For $4.50, you
can buy one taco and two drinks.
13. Write an equation that corresponds to each of the orders above.
14. By combining the orders, you can make new equations. What
equation do you get when you add the last two orders?
15. Make up two other equations by combining orders.
16. Show how you can combine equations to get the equation
1S 1D $2.50.
17. Find the new price for each of the three items.
Equations E
Tickets
This afternoon a new animated movie is playing at the movie theater.
Many adults and children are waiting in line to buy their tickets.
18. How much will the ticket seller in the third picture charge?
19. How much will you pay if you go to this theater alone?
Twenty
Two adults and dollars,
two children. please.
One adult and Seventeen

three children. dollars, sir.
Three adults and

five children.
....
E Equations
Many problems compare quantities

such as prices, weights, and widths.
One way to describe these
problems is by using equations.
For example, study the picture
of the umbrellas and cap. $ 80.00
If you let U represent the price of one

umbrella and C represent the price of
one cap, the equation is 2U 1C $80.
These problems can also be solved with combination charts if there
are only two different items. When there are more than two items,
you can use notebook notation to find the solution.
Price of Combinations Notebook Notation
5
Number of Pencils
4 ORDER TACO SALAD DRINK TOTAL
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Erasers
1. At a flower shop Joel paid $10 for three irises and four daisies.
Althea paid $9 for two irises and five daisies.
a. Write equations representing this information.
b. Write an equation to show the price of one iris and six daisies.
c. Find the cost of one iris and the cost of one daisy.
2. At a movie theater, tickets for three adults, two seniors, and two
children cost $35. Tickets for one senior and two children cost
$12.50. Tickets for one adult, one senior, and two children
cost $18.50.
a. Write three equations representing the ticket information. Use
A to represent the price of an adult’s ticket, S to represent the
price of a senior’s ticket, and C to represent the price of a
child’s ticket.
b. Write two additional equations by combining your first three
equations.
c. Explain how you can combine equations to get the equation
2A 1S $16.50.
d. Explain how you can combine equations to get the equation
A $6.
e. What is the cost of each ticket?
3. In the following equations, the numbers 96 and 27 can represent

lengths, weights, prices, or whatever you wish.
4L 3M 96
L M 27
a. Write a story to fit these equations.
b. Find the value of L and the value of M.
4. In the following equations, find the value of C and the value of K.

Imagining a story to fit the equations may help you solve for the
values.
5C 4K 50
4C 5K 58
Refer back to Quinn's Quantities on page 19. Write an equation that

represents the price of the two mixtures. Tell which is easier for you to
use, the problem posed in words or represented by equations and
explain why.
Additional Practice

Susan and her friends like to collect and trade basketball cards. Today
after school, Susan made these trades:
• two Tigers for three Lions
• three Cougars for four Tigers
• one Cougar for one Tiger and two Bears
• four Panthers for two Cougars
1. Use the information to think of two card trades that would be fair.
2. James offers Susan six Lions for three Cougars. Should Susan
make this trade? Why or why not?
3. James then offers one Panther for two Tigers. Should Susan
make this trade? Why or why not?
4. Susan has five Cougars. How many Bears can she get for her
Cougars?

Numbers of People
on Canoe Trip A Girl Scout troop wants to rent canoes for a
group of 25 people. Both small and large canoes
are available. Each small canoe holds two people,
15 and each large canoe carries three people.
14
13 Use the combination chart on Student Activity
12 Sheet 6 to solve the problems. You do not need
Number of Small Canoes
11 to complete the entire chart.

10
9 1. What combinations of small and large canoes
8 will accommodate exactly 25 people? Find all
7 the possibilities.
6
5
2. One person broke her leg a week before the
4 trip and is unable to go on the canoe trip.
3 6 Name one possibility for a combination of
2 4 7 canoes 24 people can rent.
1 2 5 8
0 0 3 6 9 3. Explain why the chart starts with (0, 0) and
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 not with (1, 1).
Number of Large Canoes
4. For each of the following puzzles, find the number that goes in
the circle and explain your strategy.
a. b.
51
10 18
27
0 0

1. Three T-shirts and four caps are advertised for $96. Two T-shirts
and five caps cost $99. How much does a single T-shirt cost?
How much does a cap cost? Show your work.
$ 96
$ 99
Additional Practice 35
Additional Practice
Three tall candles and five short candles cost $7.75. Two tall candles
and two short candles cost $3.50.
$7.75
$3.50
Margarita used a combination chart to find the prices of short and

tall candles.
2. a. Use Margarita’s chart to show how she might solve the
problem.
Margarita’s Chart
Prices of Combinations (in dollars)
5
Number of Tall Candles
3 7.75
2 3.50
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Short Candles
b. Margarita wrote the first combination as 3T 5S $7.75.

What does the letter T represent? The letter S?
c. Write a similar statement for the second combination.
Additional Practice

Some of today’s orders at Fish King are shown in the notebook.
1. a. In your own notebook, list at least three new combinations.
b. What is the price of each item at Fish King?
ORDER DRINK FRIES FISH TOTAL

1 2 1 2 $ 8.80
2 1 — 1 $ 3.60
3 3 1 1 $ 7.40
4
5
6
7
For a total cost of $18.40, Gideon went on the Whirling Wheel four
times, in the Haunted House two times, and on the Roller Coaster
four times.
For a total cost of $18, Louisa went on the Whirling Wheel five times
and on the Roller Coaster five times.
Bryce likes only the Roller Coaster, and he rode it 10 times! He spent
one dollar less than Louisa.
2. What is the price of each attraction? Solve the problem using
notebook notation. Show all of your calculations.
3. Create a problem of your own, using notebook notation. Show a

detailed solution to your problem.
Additional Practice 37
Additional Practice
Section E Equations
1. Five large rowing boats and two small boats can hold 36 people.
Two large rowing boats and one small one can hold 15 people.
a. Write two equations representing the information. Use the
letters L and S.
b. What do the letters L and S in your equations represent?
c. How many people can one large boat hold if it is full? Show
your work.
2. A mixture of 3 cups of almonds and 2 cups of peanuts costs

$9.20. A mixture of 1 cup of almonds and 2 cups of peanuts
costs $5.20.
a. Write two equations representing the information. Use the
letters A and P.
b. What do the letters A and P in your equations represent?
c. What is the price for a mixture of 2 cups of almonds and 3
cups of peanuts? Show your work.
3. Imagine a story for the system of equations below.

2A 4C 27
3A 1C 23
a. What do the letters or variables in this system of equations
represent in your story?
b. Choose any strategy to find the value of A and the value of C.
4. Kevin invented a story that is represented by this system of

equations.
5P 3K 8
10P 6K 16
Can Kevin find the value for P and the value for K? Explain why or
why not.
1. You may sketch pictures, similar to the work below.
Or you may write words. If so, be sure to check your numbers.

five fish for two melons
four apples for one loaf of bread
one melon for one ear of corn and two apples
10 apples for four melons
2. You should have two correct statements. If your statement does

not appear here, discuss it with a classmate to see if they agree
with you.
Sample responses:
eight apples for two loaves of bread
one melon for five ears of corn
two melons for five apples
eight ears of corn for one loaf of bread
two ears of corn for one apple
one fish for one apple
two ears of corn for one fish
four fish for one loaf of bread
3. Yes, Delia’s statement is true. Remember: you need to provide an

explanation!
Sample explanations:
• In problem 2, I found that one fish trades for one apple, so 10
fish trade for 10 apples.
• Since you can trade five fish for two melons, you can trade
10 fish for four melons. You can trade four melons for
10 apples from the original information, so you can trade
10 fish for 10 apples.
Answers to Check Your Work 39
Answers to Check Your Work
4. No, this statement is not true. Remember: you have to give an

explanation!
Sample explanations:
• I found in problem 2 that four fish can be traded for one loaf of
bread, so three fish are not enough to get one loaf of bread.
• I found in problem 2 that one fish can be traded for one apple,
so three fish will be worth only three apples. Because four
apples are the same as one loaf of bread, three fish are not
enough.
5. You can have several different solutions and still be correct.

Check your solution with another student. You may make an
assumption about the number of fish Delia has.
Sample responses:
• If she has five fish, she can trade for two melons. Then she can
get two ears of corn and four apples, because one melon is
worth one ear of corn and two apples. I know from problem 2
that one apple is worth two ears of corn. So if she wants more
corn, she can trade four apples for eight ears of corn. Delia will
then have traded 10 ears of corn in total for five fish.
This means that one fish is worth two ears of corn. So for each
fish Delia has, she can get two ears of corn.
1. You might have filled out the chart in a different way.

Numbers of Tickets
8
7
Whirlybird Rides
6
Number of
5
4
3 6 16
2 4 9 14 19 24
1 2 7 12 17 22
0 0 5 10 15 20
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of
Loop-D-Loop Rides
2. 16 tickets
Different strategies are possible:
• In the chart, you can see that for two Loop-D-Loop rides you
need 10 tickets, and for three Whirlybird rides you need six
tickets. So altogether you need 16 tickets.
• You can draw arrows that go up one square and to the right
one square, like on the chart above. This move adds seven
tickets, and 7 9 16.
3. Janus can go on three Loop-D-Loop rides and two Whirlybird

rides or one Loop-D-Loop ride and seven Whirlybird rides.
If you keep filling out the chart, each entry is either greater or
less than 19 except for those two combinations. So all of the
other combinations are for either too many or too few tickets.

4. a. Different charts are possible. You should draw an arrow that

goes down one square and to the right two squares, like on
the chart below.
b. The number of tickets increases by eight.
Numbers of Tickets
8 16
7 14 19
6 12 17
Whirlybird Rides
5 10 15 20 25
Number of
4 8 13 18 23
3 6 11 16 21 26
2 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
1 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42 47
0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of
Loop-D-Loop Rides
5. Discuss and check your answers to problem 5 with a classmate.

One example of a story:
a. A motorcycle holds two people, and a minibus holds 10 people.
b.
Number of People
5 50 52 54 56 58 60
Number of Minibuses
4 40 42 44 46 48 50
3 30 32 34 36 38 40
2 20 22 24 26 28 30
1 10 12 14 16 18 20
0 0 2 4 6 8 10
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Motorcycles
c. The circled entry 16 stands for the number of people traveling

on three motorcycles and one minibus. The circled entry 40
stands for the number of people traveling in four minibuses.
1. a. You can have different explanations that are correct. Two

examples are:
• In both pictures there are five candles, but the price is higher
in the second picture. Since there are more short candles in
the picture on the right, they must be more expensive.
• When one tall candle is replaced by one short candle, the price
increases $0.15.
The short candles are more expensive than the tall candles.
b. The short candles are $0.15 more expensive than the tall
candles.
c. Compare your answer with your classmates. There are several
possible combinations. You can add all the candles and prices
to get one combination:
$8.55
Some other examples you get when you exchange candles are below
and on the next page.
$3.75
$3.90

$4.05
–15¢
$4.20
15¢
$4.35
15¢
$4.50
d. One short candle costs $0.90. Different strategies are possible.

Discuss your strategy with a classmate.
An example of one strategy follows:
Exchange each tall candle for a short candle. (See pictures in
answer c.)
When you have five short candles, the total price is $4.50.
$4.50 5 $0.90
Costs of Combinations 2. One strategy is to subtract the price of one

(in dollars) bagel and two drinks to find a difference
of $5.10 on the diagonal and repeat this to
get $1.50 for one bagel. Another strategy
is that if the entry for the (2,2) cell is $6.60,
then the entry for the (1,1) cell is $3.30. So
5 1.50 going up the diagonal by moving over
Number of Drinks
one and up one (an increase of one drink

4 7.20 8.70 10.20 11.70 and one bagel), the next diagonal cell
would be $9.90 and the next to the right of
.10
3 $11.70 would be $13.20. This makes the

5
cost of one bagel $1.50, which can be

2 6.60 used to go back to the cost of 4 drinks and
no bagels. Once you know that four drinks
.10
1 1.80 3.30 cost $7.20, you can divide to find the cost
5
of one drink.
0 1.50
You may have filled out other parts of the
0 1 2 3 4 chart. You do not need to fill out the whole
chart to find the answer.
Number of Bagels
The cost of a drink is $1.80.
3. a. Check your strategy with a classmate.

The cost of a drink is $1.50.
Sample strategy:
Double the first picture:
Four drinks and four bagels cost $11.60.
Compare this with the second picture:
Four drinks and three bagels cost $10.20.
The difference on the left is one bagel.
The difference on the right is $1.40.
So one bagel costs $1.40.
To find the price of a drink, take the first picture:
2 drinks 2 $1.40 $5.80
So two drinks must cost $3.00.
So one drink costs $1.50.
b. The cost of a single bagel is $1.40.

1. Discuss your solution with a classmate.

Different strategies are possible. For example:
Apple Banana Pear Price Subtract any one of the first three rows
1 0 1 1 $1.30 from row 4.
2 1 1 0 $1.10
In this example, the price of one apple is
3 1 0 1 $1.20
found by subtracting row 1 from row 4.
4 2 2 2 $3.60
5 1 1 1 $1.80 Answers:
6 1 0 0 $0.50 One apple costs $0.50.
One banana costs $0.60.
One pear costs $0.70.
2. a. One salad costs $2. You may have doubled the first
order and then subtracted this from the second order
to find the price of a salad, as shown.
b. One drink costs $0.75. One taco costs $1.50. Compare
your work with a classmate’s work.
Sample strategy:
From answer a, you know that a salad costs $2.00.
Order Taco Salad Drink Total In order 3, there were four salads: 4 $2 $8.00.
1 1 -- 2 $ 3.00 The price of the order was $11.00, so
2 2 1 4 $ 8.00
2 four drinks cost $11.00 $8.00 $3.00.
3 -- 4 4 $ 11.00
$3.00 4 $0.75 is the price of one drink.
4 2 -- 4 $ 6.00
5 -- 1 -- $ 2.00 In order 1:
6 1 taco 2 drinks $3.00
7 1 taco 2 x $0.75 $3.00
1 taco $1.50 $3.00
So one taco costs $1.50.
3. No, a combination chart cannot be used to solve the
problem. A combination chart can be used only for a
combination of two items.
Section E Equations
1. a. 3I 4D $10
2I 5D $9
b. 1I 6D $8
c. An iris costs $2, and a daisy costs $1. You may have different
explanations.
You may continue the pattern by removing one iris and adding
one daisy, and then the total cost goes down by one dollar.
So 7D $7. One daisy costs $1.
Now, 1I 6($1) $8, so one iris costs $2.
2. a. 3A 2S 2C $35.00
1S 2C $12.50
1A 1S 2C $18.50
b. Different answers are possible. Sample responses:
3A 3S 4C $47.50
1A 2S 4C $31.00
c. You can subtract the third equation from the first.
3A 2C 2C $35.00 (
(
1A 1S 2C $18.50
subtract
2A 1S $16.50
d. You can subtract the second equation from the third.
1A 1S 2C $18.50 (
( 1S 2C $12.50
subtract
1A $ 6.00
e. An adult’s ticket costs $6.00.
A senior’s ticket costs $4.50, and a child’s ticket costs $4.00.
Strategies may vary. Sample strategy:
2A 1S $16.50
2($6.00) 1S $16.50
1S $4.50
$4.50 2C $12.50
2C $8.00
C $4.00
3. a. Different stories are possible. Here is one example of a story.

Ronnie can read four library books and three magazines in 96
hours. He can read one library book and one magazine in 27
hours.
b. L 15, M 12
Discuss your solution with a classmate.
Different strategies are possible.
Sample strategies:
• Notebook notation:
So L 15, and L M 27
L M
15 M 27 4 3 96
M 12 1 1 27
X3
3 3 81
• Combination chart: 1 — 15
4 96 15
3 81
L 2 54
1 15 27 27
0 12
0 1 2 3 4
M
• Equations:
4L 3M 96
L M 27 subtract
3
3L 3M 81
1L 15
15 M 27
M 12
4. Discuss your strategy with a classmate.

The combination chart shows one strategy.
5 58
8
4 50
3 42
K
2 34
1 26
0 18
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
C
9 C 18 Since C 2, then there are several ways

of finding K so that: K 10
C2

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Comparing

National Science Foundation

Copyright © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Wisconsin Center for Education Freudenthal Institute Staff

Wisconsin Center for Education Freudenthal Institute Staff

Cover photo credits: (left to right) © PhotoDisc/Getty Images;

Section A Compare and Exchange

In this unit, you will compare quantities such as prices, weights,

You will learn about trading and

problems involving combinations

Combination charts and the notebook notation will help you

The Mathematics in Context Development Team

Paulo lives with his family

First he meets Aaron, who says, “I only trade salt for

Later he meets Sarkis, who tells him, “I will give you

Then he meets Ranee. She

10 bananas 2 pineapples 1 pineapple 2 bananas 1 apple

3. How many carrots do you need to balance the third scale?

6 carrots 1 ear of corn 1 ear of corn 2 peppers 1 pepper

Four oxen are as strong as five horses.

An elephant is as strong as one ox and two horses.

Section A: Compare and Exchange 3

These problems could be solved using fair exchange. In this section,

Delia lives in a community where people trade goods they produce

This is what she hears:

Explain how to use exchanging to solve a problem.

Section A: Compare and Exchange 5

2. On another day there is $1.50 in

3. Find another amount of money

Erasers Price Pencils Price

One day the box has $1.05 in it.

Monica and Martin aren’t satisfied.

Section B: Looking at Combinations 7

Monica and Martin come up with the Combination Chart

Use the combination chart on Student Activity Sheet 1 to solve the

Costs of Combinations (in cents)

8. Fill in the white squares with the prices of the combinations.

9. Circle the price of two erasers and three pencils.

Use the number patterns in your completed combination chart on

11. a. Reflect What happens to the numbers in

Number of Erasers Number of Erasers

Section B: Looking at Combinations 9

cabinets are needed for different wall lengths.

Lengths of Combinations (in cm)

10 450 510 570

9 405 465 525 585

8 360 420 480 540

7 315 375 435 495 555

6 270 330 390 450 510 570

5 225 285 345 405 465 525 585

4 180 240 300 360 420 480 540

3 135 195 255 315 375 435 495 555

2 90 150 210 270 330 390 450 510 570

1 45 105 165 225 285 345 405 465 525

0 0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480

Section B: Looking at Combinations 11

19. Can the cabinet store provide