1.
Age Problems
Summary: Problems where you find the current, past, or future ages of people based on relationships
between their ages. Often involves setting up equations.
Example:John is twice as old as his sister Alice. In 5 years, the sum of their ages will be 34. How old is
Alice now?
· Let A = Alice's current age, so John's age = 2A.
· In 5 years: (A + 5) + (2A + 5) = 34
· Solve: 3A + 10 = 34 → 3A = 24 → A = 8. Alice is 8 years old.
2. Work Hours Problems
Summary: Problems calculating the time required for individuals or groups to complete a task alone or
together. The work rate is often (1 job / time).
Example:Pipe A fills a tank in 3 hours. Pipe B fills it in 6 hours. How long to fill the tank if both pipes are
used?
· A's rate: 1/3 tank per hour. B's rate: 1/6 tank per hour.
· Combined rate: 1/3 + 1/6 = 1/2 tank per hour.
· Time = 1 tank / (1/2 tank/hour) = 2 hours.
3. Clock Angles and Sector Area
Summary:
· Clock Angles: Finding the angle between the hour and minute hands. (Hour hand moves 0.5° per
minute, minute hand moves 6° per minute).
· Sector Area: A portion of a circle's area. Formula: (θ/360) × πr², where θ is the central angle in degrees.
Example (Clock):What is the angle between the hands at 3:30?
· Minute hand angle: 30 min × 6° = 180° (pointing at 6).
· Hour hand angle: (3 × 30°) + (30 × 0.5°) = 90° + 15° = 105° (past the 3).
· Difference: 180° - 105° = 75°.
4. Algebraic Expressions
Summary: Mathematical phrases that can contain numbers, variables (like x or y), and operators (+, -, ×,
÷). The goal is often to simplify or evaluate them.
Example:Simplify the expression 3(x + 4) - 2x + 5.
· 3x + 12 - 2x + 5
· (3x - 2x) + (12 + 5) = x + 17
5. Speed Distance Problems
Summary: Problems using the fundamental relationship: Speed = Distance / Time, and its variants:
Distance = Speed × Time, Time = Distance / Speed.
Example:A car travels 240 km at a constant speed. If the trip took 4 hours, what was its speed?
· Speed = Distance / Time = 240 km / 4 hours = 60 km/h.
6. Fractions & Percentages
Summary:
· Fractions: Represent parts of a whole. Operations include simplification, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division.
· Percentages: Fractions out of 100. To find X% of a number, multiply the number by (X/100).
Example:What is 25% of 80?
· Calculate: (25/100) × 80 = 0.25 × 80 = 20.
7. Range, Mean, Mode, Median
Summary: Measures of central tendency and spread in a data set.
· Mean: Average (sum of all values / number of values).
· Median: Middle value when sorted.
· Mode: Most frequent value.
· Range: Difference between the highest and lowest values.
Example:Find the mean, median, mode, and range for: [5, 2, 7, 2, 1]
· Sorted: [1, 2, 2, 5, 7]
· Mean: (1+2+2+5+7)/5 = 17/5 = 3.4
· Median: 2 (the middle number)
· Mode: 2 (appears most often)
· Range: 7 - 1 = 6
8. Simple Geometry Problems
Summary: Problems involving the perimeter, area, and volume of basic shapes (squares, rectangles,
triangles, circles).
Example:A rectangle has a length of 8 cm and a width of 5 cm. What is its area and perimeter?
· Area = length × width = 8 × 5 = 40 cm²
· Perimeter = 2 × (length + width) = 2 × (8 + 5) = 2 × 13 = 26 cm
9. Basic Arithmetic
Summary: The fundamental operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, often with
integers, decimals, and order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS).
Example:Calculate: 6 + 4 × (3 - 1)
· Parentheses first: 3 - 1 = 2
· Multiplication next: 4 × 2 = 8
· Addition last: 6 + 8 = 14
10. Probability
Summary: The likelihood of an event happening, calculated as (Number of Favorable Outcomes) / (Total
Number of Possible Outcomes).
Example:What is the probability of rolling a 3 on a standard six-sided die?
· Favorable outcomes: 1 (rolling a 3)
· Total outcomes: 6 (rolling a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)
· Probability = 1/6
11. Profit, Discount Problems
Summary:
· Profit: Selling Price - Cost Price. Profit % = (Profit / Cost Price) × 100.
· Discount: Marked Price - Selling Price. Discount % = (Discount / Marked Price) × 100.
Example:A book costs $15 and is sold for $18. What is the profit percentage?
· Profit = $18 - $15 = $3
· Profit % = (3 / 15) × 100 = 0.2 × 100 = 20%
