Problem-Solving Strategies

🎯 What You'll Learn

You will learn a step-by-step strategy for solving any word problem, even difficult ones you haven't seen before.

🏪 Market Story

Mrs. Okafor teaches her class the "RUSC" method for solving word problems. "This works for any problem," she says. "Even ones that look scary at first!"

📝 Let's Learn

The RUSC method:

1. R — Read the problem carefully. Read it twice! Understand what is happening in the story.
2. U — Understand what you need to find. What is the question asking?
3. S — Solve the problem step by step. Write down each step.
4. C — Check your answer. Does it make sense? Use the opposite operation to verify.

Example: "Amina buys 5 mangoes at ₦12 each and 3 oranges at ₦8 each. She pays with ₦200. How much change does she get?"

R: Amina buys mangoes and oranges and pays ₦200.

U: I need to find the change (₦200 minus total cost).

S: Mangoes: 5 × ₦12 = ₦60. Oranges: 3 × ₦8 = ₦24. Total: ₦60 + ₦24 = ₦84. Change: ₦200 − ₦84 = ₦116.

C: ₦84 + ₦116 = ₦200. ✓ Makes sense!

✏️ Practice Questions

1. Use RUSC: Emeka has ₦300. He buys 4 books at ₦50 each. How much is left?
2. Use RUSC: 6 friends share ₦90 equally, then each spends ₦5. How much does each have left?
3. Use RUSC: Bola earns ₦35 per day for 4 days. She buys a gift for ₦80. How much does she have left?

Click to see answers

1. R: Emeka has ₦300, buys 4 books at ₦50. U: Find what's left. S: 4 × ₦50 = ₦200. ₦300 − ₦200 = ₦100. C: ₦200 + ₦100 = ₦300. ✓ Answer: ₦100.
2. R: 6 friends share ₦90, each spends ₦5. U: Find what each has left. S: ₦90 ÷ 6 = ₦15 each. ₦15 − ₦5 = ₦10. C: 6 × ₦15 = ₦90. ✓ Answer: ₦10 each.
3. R: Bola earns ₦35/day for 4 days, spends ₦80. U: Find what's left. S: 4 × ₦35 = ₦140. ₦140 − ₦80 = ₦60. C: ₦80 + ₦60 = ₦140. ✓ Answer: ₦60.

💡 Remember

RUSC: Read, Understand, Solve, Check. This strategy works for every word problem. The most important step is reading the problem carefully — twice!