The problem with word problems
Consider the following actual exchange, recorded in an elementary school classroom:
TEACHER: Alright class, here is a ratio problem for you. In order to paint a certain wall pink, a painter uses a gallon of white paint mixed with three drops of red paint. How much white and red paint would he use to paint a wall three times that size?
PUPIL: Teacher, I know! My parents run a painting company, so I learned this from them. If you paint a really big wall, you have to mix the color a little bit darker, because the sunlight falling on a large wall will make the color appear lighter. And you would have to mix up the first gallon, and then mix the other batches to a chip, because there might be a slight color difference in different job lots of paint from the factory. In any case, you wouldn't mix up three batches of paint all at once, because the colors would start to separate before you were ready to use them. You're usually better to trust your eye than just to go by the measurements anyway ...
TEACHER: Alright! Enough! What you have to realize is that we're not talking about painting here, we're talking about ratio
The problem with word problems

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