What is 'of' in Math?

are many word problems in which the word 'of' does confuse us once in a while. The word 'of', in Math, is often used in word problems and percentage problems in which you have to form an equation. It is essential to understand how to form an equation from a word problem in which 'of' is used. Below is discussed the use of the word 'of' in Math along with example usages in word problems.

The word 'of', in Math, simply means multiplication. Generally, whenever you encounter this word, put a multiplication sign in your equation at that point.

Use of 'of' in math in percentage and fraction problems

The word 'of' is used very simply in percentage problems, and usually you just have to replace 'of' with a multiplication sign to get rid of it!

For example, "1/2 of 100" is solved by replacing 'of' with 'x' (multiplication sign) as follows:
1/2 of 100 = 1/2 x 100
Simplifying further, we obtain 100/2 = 50.

Usage of the word 'of' in math in percent problems is similar to its usage in fraction problems. For example, "10% of 100" is solved by replacing 'of' with x (multiplication sign), and '%' with '/100' as follows:
10% of 100 = 10/100 x 100 = 10

Use of 'of' in math in word problems / equations

Word problems illustrate a mathematical relationship between two or more variables. In the process of solving a word problem, this mathematical relation between the various variables/quantities, is translated into a mathematical equation. The word 'of' is often used in word problems, and it forms an essential part of the equation to be formed from the word problem.
 

Generally, if it is stated that a particular quantity is, say, half of another quantity, it implies that the former quantity is equal to half (that is, 1/2) times the latter one. For example, "The length of a rectangle is half of it's width" means L = 1/2 * W, where L represents the variable length, W represents the variable width, and *, the multiplication sign, is placed where the word 'of' comes in.

Difference between 'of' and 'off' in Math

The words 'of' and 'off' in Math have different implications. While 'of' generally means multiplication, 'off' generally is used in context of discount, or reduction. For example, "10% of 100" means '10/100 x 100' while "10% off 100" means "100 - 10% of 100", that is, a discount or reduction of 10% on 100.

1 comment:

Search This Blog