Question

Model the problem with algebra tiles. Then use the model to write an algebraic expression that represents the situation.

Isaac gave away five balloons.

How can you model this situation?

The situation can be modeled by algebra tiles with
and
.

The situation can be represented as an algebraic expression as
.

Answer 1

To model the situation using algebra tiles, we can consider the balloons that Isaac originally had as positive tiles and the balloons he gave away as negative tiles.

1. **Modeling with Algebra Tiles**:
- Let each positive tile (which represents a balloon) be denoted as \( +1 \).
- Each balloon given away (which represents balloons being taken away) can be represented as \( -1 \).

Given that Isaac gave away 5 balloons, we will use 5 negative tiles to represent this action.

2. **Algebraic Expression**:
- If we assume Isaac originally had \( x \) balloons, then giving away 5 balloons can be modeled as:
\[
x - 5
\]

Thus, you can represent the situation with the following algebraic expression:
\[
x - 5
\]

In conclusion, we can summarize:
- The situation can be modeled by algebra tiles with \( +x \) (representing the balloons originally owned) and \( -5 \) (representing the 5 balloons given away).
- The situation can be represented as an algebraic expression as \( x - 5 \).