Problem 214 - Prealgebra

Question

In the following exercises, solve. Temperature The high temperature on June 1 in Phoenix was 97 degrees and the low was 73 degrees. What was the difference between the high and low temperatures?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The difference is 24 degrees.

Step 1 - Identify the Given Values

Identify the high and low temperatures given in the problem. The high temperature is 97 degrees, and the low temperature is 73 degrees.

Step 2 - Set Up the Subtraction

To find the difference between the high and low temperatures, set up the subtraction problem: 97 - 73.

Step 3 - Perform the Subtraction

Subtract the low temperature from the high temperature. Calculating 97 - 73 = 24.

Step 4 - State Final Answer

The difference between the high and low temperatures is 24 degrees.

Key Concepts

Temperature Subtraction

To find the difference between two temperatures, we use subtraction. This means we need to subtract the smaller number (the low temperature) from the larger number (the high temperature).

Let's look at the example provided. We have a high temperature of 97 degrees and a low temperature of 73 degrees. To find out how much warmer it was at the high than at the low, we will subtract.

Simply set it up like this: 97 (high temperature) - 73 (low temperature).

Performing this calculation, we get 97 - 73 = 24.

So, the difference is 24 degrees. This tells us that the high temperature was 24 degrees warmer than the low temperature.

Basic Arithmetic

Subtraction is one of the four basic operations in arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). It's a simple operation where you take away one number from another.

In our example, we used subtraction to find the difference between two temperatures. Knowing how to subtract correctly is essential for solving many real-life problems, just like this one.

Think of subtraction as counting backward. For instance, if you have 97 steps to take and have already taken 73, how many steps do you have left? You subtract to find the answer: 97 - 73 = 24.
That means you have 24 steps left.

Solving Word Problems

Word problems might seem challenging at first, but with practice, they become easier. Here’s a step-by-step method to solve word problems:

• 1. **Read the problem carefully.** Make sure you understand what it is asking.
• 2. **Identify the important numbers and what they mean.** In our example, these are the high and low temperatures: 97 degrees and 73 degrees.
• 3. **Set up the equation.** Decide which arithmetic operation you need. Here, we need to find the difference, so we use subtraction.
• 4. **Perform the calculation.** Subtract the smaller number from the larger number.
• 5. **Check your answer.** Make sure it makes sense in the context of the problem.

Applying this method to the given problem, we get:
Identify given values: high temperature (97 degrees) and low temperature (73 degrees).
Set up the subtraction: 97 - 73.
Perform the subtraction: 97 - 73 = 24.
The difference between the high and low temperatures is 24 degrees.

This strategy works well for many types of word problems, not just those involving temperature.