Word Problems with Decimals
A geologist buys 3.5 kg of rock samples priced at $2.40 per kg. How much does she pay?
3.5 x 2.40 = 8.40 → $8.40
Which mineral property describes how light bounces off a mineral’s surface (shiny vs. dull)?
Luster
Which keyword usually tells you to add in a word problem: "total", "difference", or "product"?
What is the naturally occurring solid material that minerals make up (starts with "r")?
Rock
A mineral sample weighs 0.75 kg. If you find 3 identical samples, what is the total weight?
0.75 x 3 = 2.25 kg
A mineral sample is split evenly into 4 parts. The whole sample weighs 6.48 kg. What is the weight of one part?
6.48 \ 4 = 1.62 kg
What property measures how easily a mineral can be scratched by another material (we have been using glass)?
Hardness
Of these keywords, which points to subtraction: "sum", "less than", or "times"?
Less than.
A mineral must have these 5 characteristics:
SOLID,
INORGANIC,
NATURALLY OCCURING,
CHEMICAL FORMULA ( salt- NaCl)
ORDERED INTERNAL STRUCTURE
A shelf holds mineral specimens; each specimen is priced at $4.95. If you buy 7 specimens, how much will you pay?
4.95 x 7 = 34.65 → $34.65
A lab needs 2.75 liters of solution for each test. How many liters are needed for 6 tests?
2.75 x 6 = 16.50 liters
If a mineral breaks along flat planes (in a specific pattern), what is this property called?
Cleavage
What words might indicate multiplication in this context?
Jayla collected 4 minerals each time she went into the field, and every one had 2 areas of fracture per mineral.
Define "hardness" using a one-sentence explanation suitable for 6th graders
Hardness is how easily a mineral can scratch another material.
A tray holds mineral grains totaling 9.6 g. If each grain averages 0.12 g, how many grains are there?
9.6 / 0.12 = 80 grains
A field trip bus uses 18.6 gallons of fuel for one round trip. If fuel costs $3.19 per gallon, what is the total fuel cost?
Fuel cost: 18.6 x 3.19 = 59.334 → $59.33
(rounded to hundredths because we're talking about money)
Name the property that describes the color of a mineral’s powder when rubbed on a streak plate.
Streak
Have, Split, Into talks about what operation?
Division
What is "luster"? Provide a short student-friendly definition.
Luster describes how a mineral reflects light — whether it looks metallic, or non-metallic.
A miner finds 5.25 kg of quartz and 3.6 kg of feldspar. What is the combined weight? Next, find the difference between the two weights?
Combined: 5.25 + 3.6 = 8.85 kg.
Difference: 5.25 - 3.6 = 1.65 kg
A mine extracts 12.345 tons of ore each day. How much ore is taken in 14 days?
12.345 x 14 = 172.83 tons
(calculate precisely: 12.345 x 14=172.83)
Explain the difference in the way that cleavage and fracture appear when a mineral breaks.
Cleavage looks like..., and fracture breaks like...
Cleavage will break in a pattern, while fractures break randomly.
A problem says that after removing some minerals from the TBB, the mass "decreased by 12.5 grams". Which operation and decimal process should you use to find the new value?
Subtraction- line them up by the decimal.
Explain the difference between "mineral" and "rock" in two or three sentences.
Name the 5 properties of minerals to show the diffference.
A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure; a rock is made of one or more minerals combined
A lab mixes solutions: 1.75 L of solution A with 0.625 L of solution B. They need to divide the total equally among 5 tests. How much solution does each test receive?
Total: 1.75 + 0.625 = 2.375 L.
Per test: 2.375 / 5 = 0.475 L per test