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The length of a box is 3 times the width. Which of the following gives the length (L inches) in terms of the width (W inches) of the box?
When reading word problems, there are certain clues that help interpret what is going on. The word “is” generally means “=” and the word “times” means it will be multiplied by something. Therefore, “the length of a box is 3 times the width” gives you the answer: L = 3 x W, or L = 3W.
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The width of a box, in inches, is 5 inches less than three times its length. Which of the following equations gives the width, W inches, in terms of the length, L inches, of the box?
We notice the width is “5 inches less than three times its width,” so we express W as being three times its width (3L) and 5 inches less than that is 3L minus 5. In this case, W is the dependent and L is the independent variable.
W = 3L - 5
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