Painless Math Word Problems (Barron's Painless)

Titles in Barron's Painless Series are textbook supplements designed especially for classroom use by middle school and high school students. The approach of each title is an appeal to students who think that the subject is boring, or too difficult, or both. The authors, all experienced educators, take a light approach, showing kids what is most interesting about each subject, and how seemingly difficult problems can be transformed into fun quizzes, brain-ticklers, and challenging puzzles with rational solutions. In this volume, students learn to see patterns in math word problems, then compute with decimals, fractions, compare rates, and solve proportions. Then using everyday, real-world examples, they explore statistics and probabilities, and learn how math can actually predict future outcomes and events. Other areas of practical math are examined, with a final chapter that searches out problems and activities that can be found on the World Wide Web.

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Really. This isn't going to hurt at all . . .

Students discover interesting ways to see patterns in math word problems, and then make the correct computations to find solutions. In the process, they work with decimals and fractions, compare rates, and work with proportions and percents. The author presents everyday real-world examples which use problem-solving strategies that align with those of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The examples are presented in easy to understand language and formats that help guide students through problems in statistics, probability, and even the fundamentals of algebra. Titles in Barron's Painless Series are specially designed to remove the painful aspects of classroom instruction and transform learning into fun. A final, fascinating chapter helps students search for math word problems and activities available on the Internet.

For Middle School and High School Students