Application of algebra

 Real Life Applications of Algebra Objectives

      

 
Too often students think of algebra as an abstract topic completely disconnected from the real world. This may in part be attributed to the way in which many algebra curricula are written or presented, causing students to see the subject as valueless. Fortunately, real-life applications of algebra objectives abound, and learners can investigate them throughout the course.

How Much Can You Buy?

Writing and solving various types of equations is one of the key objectives of algebra. Many of the most widely useful applications pertaining to equations involve the transfer of money. Such problems are often of the type “You have x amount of money, how much of y product can you buy with it?” For instance, envision a scenario in which you’re helping prepare for a party, and are sent to the store with $30 to buy as many liter bottles of soda as possible, as well as a package of plastic cups. Each liter of soda costs $1.80, and a package of cups costs $4.50. To quickly calculate how many sodas you can buy, you can write and solve an algebraic equation: 1.8x+4.5=30. Other real-life applications in this category could include figuring out how many bottles you could buy if they are priced at two for $3.50 or are being offered as a part of a buy-one-get-one-free special.

Markup and Markdown

Interpreting and solving problems involving ratios, proportions and percents comprises another objective of algebra. Real-world scenarios in this genre can easily be created around the idea of store sales. Types of problems could include determining the percent off, percent saved, new cost or original cost. For example, suppose a shirt is priced at $22 and a sign says the price is 30 percent off. You want to know how much the shirt cost originally to see whether your savings would be significant. Thirty percent off equates to 70 percent of the original price, so, using the algebraic proportion formula to write a proportion: 22/x=70/100, and solve it by using cross-products.