Reteaching
Name
8-1
Variables and Expressions
A variable is a letter or symbol. It represents an unknown amount
that can change.
You can represent mathematical expressions with words and symbols.
Operation
Word expression
Algebraic
expression
Other ways of
saying the word
expression

the sum
of 9 and 3

the difference
between 9 and 3

the product
of 9 and 3
93
93
339
3 added to 9 3 subtracted from 9 9 multiplied by 3
3 more than 9
3 less than 9
3 times 9

9 divided by 3
93
9 separated into
3 equal parts
Complete the numerical expression for each of the following word
expressions.
1. the sum of 12 and 8
12 ____ 8
2. the difference
between 20 and 6
3. the quotient of 32 and 16
32 ____ 16
20 ____ 6
4. 7 less than 21
5. 2 more than 10
6. 84 divided by 4
21 ____ 7
10 ____ 2
84 ____ 4
Circle the letter of the correct word expression for each algebraic
expression.
7. 5 3 (15  13)
a. 5 times 13 subtracted from 15 b. 5 times 15 minus 13
8. 4 3 9
a. 4 more than 9
b. 4 times 9
9. 11  8 2 2
a. 11 more than 8 minus 2
b. 11 minus 8 plus 2
10. (45  3) 3 2
a. the product of 2 and 45 plus 3
b. 45 more than 3 times 2
11. 36  6
a. 36 less 6 b. 6 equal parts of 36
12. 8  2  5
a. 5 less than 8  2
b. 8  2 subtracted from 5
R 8•1
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Practice
Name
8-1
Variables and Expressions
For questions 1 through 4, write a numerical expression that
represents the word phrase.
1. 180 apples divided into 12 baskets
2. 5 more than 3 times 8
3. three times the sum of 13 and 16
4. nine fewer than 72 divided by 3
For 5 through 7, translate each expression into words.
5. 3  20
6. 8 3 (12 2 6)
7. 40  2
(52  8)
8. Write two different word phrases for the expression ______
​  30   
​. 
9. Do 5  3 and 3  5 represent the
same expression? Explain.
10. Dan is 12 inches taller than Jay. Jay is 54 inches tall. Which
expression shows Dan’s height?
A 54  12 B 54  12 C 12 3 54 D ___
​ 54  ​
12
11. Explain what the expression (5,903 1 1,250) 3 6 means.
P 8•1
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