document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=75763>Question 75763</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Write the following phrase using symbols.  Use the variable p to represent the number in each case.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2 more than 6 times a number divided 3<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #54410 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=54410\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> 2 more than 6 times a number divided 3<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "This is a good example of why must be careful in what you say in mathematics.  This problem<BR>\n" );
document.write( "can be interpreted in several ways because the person who wrote it thought they were being<BR>\n" );
document.write( "clear when they really were not.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "For example.  I could write that 2 more than 6 is 8 and then you are to multiply that by a <BR>\n" );
document.write( "number (p) divided by 3. The result would be:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%282%2B6%29%2A%28p%2F3%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%282%2B6%29%2A%28p%2F3%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "and this would simplify to <BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=8p%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"8p%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Or I could also interpret the problem as being the quantity (2 more than 6p) divided by 3 which would be<BR>\n" );
document.write( "written as <BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%282+%2B+6p%29%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%282+%2B+6p%29%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > which simplifies to <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%282%2F3%29+%2B+2p ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%282%2F3%29+%2B+2p\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Or I could also interpret the problem as 2 being added to the quantity 6p divided by 3 <BR>\n" );
document.write( "which is written:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2+%2B+%286p%2F3%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2+%2B+%286p%2F3%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > which simplifies to <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2+%2B+2p ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2+%2B+2p\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "and there is no way to tell which one of these is correct because the writing can have<BR>\n" );
document.write( "at least these three interpretations.  It always to say things such as \"the quantity ...\"<BR>\n" );
document.write( "which helps the reader to group things appropriately.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "For example if you said 2 is added to the quantity 6 times a number and the resulting<BR>\n" );
document.write( "quantity is divided by 3, it would be hard to interpret the problem as anything other than<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%282+%2B+6p%29%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%282+%2B+6p%29%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this helps you to understand why the tutors on this site sometimes have difficulty<BR>\n" );
document.write( "understanding what the problem means. Ask your teacher what the answer is supposed to<BR>\n" );
document.write( "be and see what the original writer of the problem intended.  Also ask your teacher if<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the writing can be interpreted in the above several ways.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "By the rules of operations, if the problem were written as:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2 + 6 * p / 3<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "you would first do the multiplications and divisions in order from left to right so the <BR>\n" );
document.write( "problem would be:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2+%2B+%286p%29%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2+%2B+%286p%29%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > which, as shown above, simplifies to 2 + 2p.<BR>\n" );
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