Transum Software

Stable Scales

The scales are balanced. Can you work out the weight of the items on the scales? These pictures can be represented by linear equations.
Home Help Equations Algebra

The total weight of the items on the left dish is the same as the items on the right dish. Can you work out the weight of one item? Enter your answers in the boxes provided then click the 'Check' button to see if you are right. You can click the check button after each question if you wish. If you double-click the 'Check' button it will float! Drag the items around if it helps.

Fruit Fruit Fruit

8

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

6

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

3

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit

2

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

3

9

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

3

6

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

3

13

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

2

9

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

3

6

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit

10

1

Fruit
=
Correct Wrong

Reset Items Check Answers

Instructions

Try your best to answer the questions above. Type your answers into the boxes provided leaving no spaces. As you work through the exercise regularly click the "check" button. If you have any wrong answers, do your best to do corrections but if there is anything you don't understand, please ask your teacher for help.

When you have got all of the questions correct you may want to print out this page and paste it into your exercise book. If you keep your work in an ePortfolio you could take a screen shot of your answers and paste that into your Maths file.
Why am I learning this?

Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician?

Comment recorded on the 12 July 'Starter of the Day' page by Miss J Key, Farlingaye High School, Suffolk:

"Thanks very much for this one. We developed it into a whole lesson and I borrowed some hats from the drama department to add to the fun!"

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"A set of real life savers!!
Keep it up and thank you!"

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Christmas activities make those December Maths lessons interesting, exciting and relevant. If students have access to computers there are some online activities to keep them engaged such as Christmas Ornaments and Christmas Light Up.

Answers

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Example

Here is an example showing a good way to solve problems like these. It helps to think of the two sides of the balance as two sides of an equation. The equation will remain balanced only if you do the same thing (multiply, divide add or subtract) to both sides. Let x stand for the weight of one item.

5x + 3 = 3x + 15
Subtract 3 from both sides
5x = 3x + 12
Subtract 3x from both sides
2x = 12
Divide both sides by 2
x = 6

So the weight of the item is 6 units.

Close

Close

Don't wait until you have finished the exercise before you click on the 'Check' button. Click it often as you work through the questions to see if you are answering them correctly. You can double-click the 'Check' button to make it float at the bottom of your screen.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

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