Math Lab Activity

– Modeling Real-World Situations with Linear Equations

Objective:
To understand that linear equations can be used to model real-world situations.

Materials Needed:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Calculator (optional)

Instructions:

• Choose a real-world situation that can be modeled with a linear equation. For example, you could choose the following:

            – The number of hours you spend working on a project and the amount of money you earn.
            – The number of miles you drive and the amount of gas you use.
             – The number of minutes you spend studying and your score on a test.

• Write down the independent variable and the dependent variable for your situation. The independent variable is the variable that you can control, and the dependent variable is the variable that changes based on the independent variable.

• Write down a linear equation that models your situation. To do this, you need to think about the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. For example, if you are modeling the relationship between the number of hours you spend working on a project and the amount of money you earn, your equation might look like this:

money earned = hourly wage × hours worked

• Use your equation to solve problems. For example, if your hourly wage is $10 and you work for 5 hours, how much money will you earn?

money earned = $10/hour × 5 hours = $50

• Write a short report that explains your real-world situation, your linear equation, and how you used your equation to solve problems.

Here are some additional ideas for real-world situations that students can model with linear equations:

• The cost of a taxi ride and the number of miles traveled.
• The height of a child and their age.
• The number of tickets sold to a concert and the amount of money made.
• The number of hours of sunlight in a day and the time of year.
• The temperature outside and the amount of time it takes to boil water.