If you’re looking for the best math tutors you should know that our Mathnasium instructors have a real appetite for math tutoring! Do you know what else has a real appetite? Piranhas! Today’s word problem challenge is all about piranhas, but don’t be afraid, math problem piranhas are the safest kind!

This fun word problem will give elementary level students the opportunity to practice skills such as fractions and decimals. Don’t be afraid to dip your toe in the water, take a look at the question below and see if you can work out the solution. 

Question: Luke says he saw a piranha that was 4¾ inches long. Howard says he saw a piranha that was 4.7 inches long. Who saw the bigger piranha?

Take your time and think it over. When you're ready, look below to compare your solution to ours.

Solution: One way to solve this problem is to write both measurements as decimals. Since ¼ is equal to 0.25, ¾ must be equal to 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.25 = 0.75. That means that a piranha that is 4¾ inches long is 4.75 inches long. Since 4.75 is greater than 4.7, Luke saw the bigger piranha.

Valentine's Day is all about finding opportunities to express our love and appreciation for the people and things that have a positive impact on our lives. At Mathnasium, of course this includes the subject of math itself! We have seen firsthand that those who love and enjoy math are more successful in school and life. This is why we provide kids math help in the way that allows our students to truly understand math, and often even come to love it!

We’re one month into 2020, how are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? If you’re having trouble with any math resolutions, consider getting tutoring after school, but also know that practicing a little bit of math every day will make a big difference as well, and we have the best kind of math practice right here with our word problem challenges!

Today’s word problem asks students to hone their elementary math skills such as fractions, addition, subtraction, and more. Read the question below and see if you can help James figure out how long it’s going to take him to reach his New Year’s goal.

Question: James has a New Year’s resolution to be able to run a mile without stopping. If he can run one-quarter of a mile without stopping by the end of January and he adds another quarter of a mile every month, then by the end of which month will James be able to run the full mile without stopping?

Take your time working it out, and when you're ready, look below to compare your solution to ours!

Solution: There are 4 quarters in a whole, so it’ll take 4 months—January, February, March, and April—for James to be able to run a whole mile without stopping. James will be able to run the full mile by the end of April.