If you’re looking for a tutor for math, you don’t have to look far! Mathnasium’s math learning centers are located here on Earth, but today’s word problem challenge is out of this world!

This celestial-themed question gives students the opportunity to practice elementary school math skills such as number lines, addition, subtraction, tens, hundreds, and thousands. So put your moon-walk in high gear and check out the word problem below!

Question: The Moon is 3,500 kilometers wide. The Earth is 12,700 kilometers wide. How many kilometers wider is the Earth than the Moon?

Take your time working it out. We know you can do it! When you're ready, look below to check your solution against ours.

Solution: To solve the problem, we want to set up a vertical equation, start at the ones place, and move left. We know that 0 – 0 = 0, so we can fill in the ones and tens places and move on to the hundreds. 7 hundred minus 5 hundred is 2 hundred, and 12 thousand minus 3 thousand is 9 thousand. Altogether, that makes 9,200 km.

Studies have shown that math and music go hand in hand. In fact, getting tutoring for math can bolster music studies, and vice-versa. So what better way is there for a kids math program to teach math than with a music-themed word problem?

Students can practice their elementary level math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and more with today’s word problem challenge. Take a look at the question below, and take your time working it out. We know you can do it!

Question: An orchestra has 12 first violins, 10 second violins, 8 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 double basses. Each instrument has 4 strings. How many strings are there in the full orchestra?

When you’re ready, look below to check your solution against ours.

Solution: There are 12 + 10 + 8 + 8 + 6 = 44 instruments in the orchestra. If each instrument has 4 strings, then there are 44 × 4 = 176 strings.

(Image above from Max Pixel.)

What is the tastiest way to use your math skills? Our vote goes to ordering and paying for pizza! From deciding how much pizza to get per person, to figuring out the time it will take to get there and how much to pay and tip the delivery person, math is involved in every step of this delicious process!