Modeling Real-World Situations

You translate verbal expressions into algebraic expressions in real-world situations all the time. Figuring out unknown quantities is important, and these skills will help you as you evaluate expressions. Just think of how many times you have tried to figure out what you can buy for lunch with the money you have. Imagine you have $1.43 and a bag of chips is 35¢ and a soda is 75¢. How many of each item can you buy? What change will you have? Will you need to borrow money? Figuring out the answers to these questions involves the use of algebra.