What is the first problem-solving step you should follow when answering a real-world problem?

Question

A.
How can we write our problem as an expression or equation?

B.
What operation can we do to find the solution?

C.
What is the problem asking us to find?

D.
Solve the expression or equation.

Answer 1

The first problem-solving step you should follow when answering a real-world problem is:

C. What is the problem asking us to find?

Understanding what the problem is asking is essential before moving on to writing expressions, determining operations, or solving equations.