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Word Problems: Slope and Rate of Change: Classroom Packet

Grade 8 Algebra: Word Problems: Slope and Rate of Change

Name: ______________________Date: ____________Score: ____ / 8

Level 1

What the rate means

  1. 1. Solve:
    Tickets\text{Tickets}cost\text{cost}yy\text{}=\text{=}8x\text{8x}dollars\text{dollars}for\text{for}xx\text{}tickets.\text{tickets.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  2. 2. Solve:
    Pay\text{Pay}is\text{is}yy\text{}=\text{=}12x\text{12x}dollars\text{dollars}for\text{for}xx\text{}hours.\text{hours.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  3. 3. Solve:
    A\text{A}train\text{train}goes\text{goes}yy\text{}=\text{=}50x\text{50x}miles\text{miles}in\text{in}xx\text{}hours.\text{hours.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  4. 4. Solve:
    A\text{A}pizza\text{pizza}costs\text{costs}yy\text{}=\text{=}3x\text{3x}+\text{+}5\text{5}dollars\text{dollars}with\text{with}xx\text{}toppings.\text{toppings.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  5. 5. Solve:
    A\text{A}plant\text{plant}is\text{is}yy\text{}=\text{=}2x\text{2x}+\text{+}10\text{10}cm\text{cm}tall\text{tall}after\text{after}xx\text{}weeks.\text{weeks.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  6. 6. Solve:
    A\text{A}tank\text{tank}has\text{has}yy\text{}=\text{=}-4x\text{-4x}+\text{+}40\text{40}liters\text{liters}after\text{after}xx\text{}minutes.\text{minutes.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  7. 7. Solve:
    Savings\text{Savings}are\text{are}yy\text{}=\text{=}25x\text{25x}+\text{+}100\text{100}dollars\text{dollars}after\text{after}xx\text{}weeks.\text{weeks.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}
  8. 8. Solve:
    A\text{A}battery\text{battery}is\text{is}at\text{at}yy\text{}=\text{=}-5x\text{-5x}+\text{+}60\text{60}percent\text{percent}after\text{after}xx\text{}hours.\text{hours.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}and\text{and}say\text{say}what\text{what}it\text{it}means.\text{means.}

Answer Key

Level 1

  1. 1. 8: $8 per ticket8:\ \$8\text{ per ticket}
  2. 2. 12: $12 per hour12:\ \$12\text{ per hour}
  3. 3. 50: 50 mi per hour50:\ 50\text{ mi per hour}
  4. 4. 3: $3 per topping3:\ \$3\text{ per topping}
  5. 5. 2: grows 2 cm per week2:\ \text{grows 2 cm per week}
  6. 6. −4: loses 4 L per min-4:\ \text{loses 4 L per min}
  7. 7. 25: saves $25 per week25:\ \text{saves \$25 per week}
  8. 8. −5: drops 5% per hour-5:\ \text{drops 5\% per hour}

Grade 8 Algebra: Word Problems: Slope and Rate of Change

Name: ______________________Date: ____________Score: ____ / 8

Level 2

Slope from two points in context

  1. 1. Solve:
    A\text{A}ramp\text{ramp}rises\text{rises}3\text{3}ft\text{ft}over\text{over}a\text{a}run\text{run}of\text{of}12\text{12}ft.\text{ft.}Find\text{Find}its\text{its}slope.\text{slope.}
  2. 2. Solve:
    A\text{A}roof\text{roof}rises\text{rises}6\text{6}ft\text{ft}over\text{over}a\text{a}run\text{run}of\text{of}15\text{15}ft.\text{ft.}Find\text{Find}its\text{its}slope.\text{slope.}
  3. 3. Solve:
    A\text{A}road\text{road}climbs\text{climbs}40\text{40}mm\text{}over\text{over}a\text{a}run\text{run}of\text{of}800\text{800}m.m\text{.}Find\text{Find}its\text{its}slope.\text{slope.}
  4. 4. Solve:
    A\text{A}slide\text{slide}drops\text{drops}8\text{8}ft\text{ft}over\text{over}a\text{a}run\text{run}of\text{of}10\text{10}ft.\text{ft.}Find\text{Find}its\text{its}slope.\text{slope.}
  5. 5. Solve:
    A\text{A}gym\text{gym}costs\text{costs}$70\text{\$70}for\text{for}2\text{2}months\text{months}and\text{and}$145\text{\$145}for\text{for}5\text{5}months.\text{months.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}cost\text{cost}per\text{per}month.\text{month.}
  6. 6. Solve:
    A\text{A}candle\text{candle}is\text{is}20\text{20}cm\text{cm}tall\text{tall}after\text{after}1\text{1}hour\text{hour}and\text{and}14\text{14}cm\text{cm}tall\text{tall}after\text{after}4\text{4}hours.\text{hours.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}of\text{of}change.\text{change.}
  7. 7. Solve:
    An\text{An}elevator\text{elevator}goes\text{goes}from\text{from}300\text{300}ft\text{ft}to\text{to}60\text{60}ft\text{ft}in\text{in}30\text{30}seconds.\text{seconds.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate\text{rate}of\text{of}change.\text{change.}
  8. 8. Solve:
    A\text{A}boat\text{boat}rental\text{rental}costs\text{costs}$50\text{\$50}for\text{for}2\text{2}hours\text{hours}and\text{and}$110\text{\$110}for\text{for}6\text{6}hours.\text{hours.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}cost\text{cost}per\text{per}hour.\text{hour.}

Answer Key

Level 2

  1. 1. 14\tfrac{1}{4}
  2. 2. 25\tfrac{2}{5}
  3. 3. 120\tfrac{1}{20}
  4. 4. −45-\tfrac{4}{5}
  5. 5. $25 per month\$25\text{ per month}
  6. 6. −2 cm per h-2\text{ cm per h}
  7. 7. −8 ft per s-8\text{ ft per s}
  8. 8. $15 per h\$15\text{ per h}

Grade 8 Algebra: Word Problems: Slope and Rate of Change

Name: ______________________Date: ____________Score: ____ / 8

Level 3

Using and comparing slopes

  1. 1. Solve:
    A\text{A}safe\text{safe}ramp\text{ramp}has\text{has}a\text{a}slope\text{slope}of\text{of}at\text{at}most\text{most}1/12.\text{1/12.}If\text{If}it\text{it}rises\text{rises}2\text{2}ft,\text{ft,}what\text{what}is\text{is}the\text{the}shortest\text{shortest}run?\text{run?}
  2. 2. Solve:
    A\text{A}pool\text{pool}has\text{has}500\text{500}gallons\text{gallons}and\text{and}drains\text{drains}at\text{at}25\text{25}gallons\text{gallons}per\text{per}minute.\text{minute.}How\text{How}much\text{much}is\text{is}left\text{left}after\text{after}8\text{8}minutes?\text{minutes?}
  3. 3. Solve:
    A\text{A}hill\text{hill}has\text{has}a\text{a}slope\text{slope}of\text{of}0.15.\text{0.15.}How\text{How}much\text{much}does\text{does}it\text{it}rise\text{rise}over\text{over}a\text{a}run\text{run}of\text{of}200\text{200}m?m\text{?}
  4. 4. Solve:
    Plan\text{Plan}1\text{1}costs\text{costs}$20\text{\$20}plus\text{plus}$5\text{\$5}per\text{per}month.\text{month.}Plan\text{Plan}2\text{2}costs\text{costs}$10\text{\$10}per\text{per}month.\text{month.}Which\text{Which}cost\text{cost}grows\text{grows}faster?\text{faster?}After\text{After}how\text{how}many\text{many}months\text{months}are\text{are}they\text{they}equal?\text{equal?}
  5. 5. Solve:
    Snow\text{Snow}is\text{is}3\text{3}in\text{in}deep\text{deep}at\text{at}2\text{2}pm\text{pm}and\text{and}9\text{9}in\text{in}deep\text{deep}at\text{at}5\text{5}pm.\text{pm.}At\text{At}this\text{this}rate,\text{rate,}how\text{how}deep\text{deep}is\text{is}it\text{it}at\text{at}7\text{7}pm?\text{pm?}
  6. 6. Solve:
    A\text{A}car\text{car}is\text{is}worth\text{worth}$24000\text{\$24000}new\text{new}and\text{and}$18000\text{\$18000}after\text{after}3\text{3}years.\text{years.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}rate.\text{rate.}What\text{What}is\text{is}it\text{it}worth\text{worth}after\text{after}5\text{5}years?\text{years?}
  7. 7. Solve:
    The\text{The}top\text{top}of\text{of}a\text{a}ladder\text{ladder}is\text{is}12\text{12}ft\text{ft}up\text{up}a\text{a}wall\text{wall}and\text{and}its\text{its}base\text{base}is\text{is}5\text{5}ft\text{ft}from\text{from}the\text{the}wall.\text{wall.}Find\text{Find}the\text{the}slope\text{slope}of\text{of}the\text{the}ladder.\text{ladder.}
  8. 8. Solve:
    Ramp\text{Ramp}1\text{1}rises\text{rises}2\text{2}ft\text{ft}over\text{over}10\text{10}ft.\text{ft.}Ramp\text{Ramp}2\text{2}rises\text{rises}3\text{3}ft\text{ft}over\text{over}12\text{12}ft.\text{ft.}Which\text{Which}is\text{is}steeper?\text{steeper?}

Answer Key

Level 3

  1. 1. 24 ft24\text{ ft}
  2. 2. 300 gal300\text{ gal}
  3. 3. 30 m30\text{ m}
  4. 4. Plan 2; 4 months\text{Plan 2; 4 months}
  5. 5. 13 in13\text{ in}
  6. 6. −$2000 per year; $14000-\$2000\text{ per year; } \$14000
  7. 7. 125\tfrac{12}{5}
  8. 8. Ramp 2 (14>15)\text{Ramp 2 } (\tfrac{1}{4}>\tfrac{1}{5})