strategies for word problems

[blike]

Anyone have any particularly effective strategies for solving calculus word problems? Neither my book or my teacher provided any. I get confused just reading the problem. Are there strategies??

[Dave]

Originally posted by blike

Anyone have any particularly effective strategies for solving calculus word problems? Neither my book or my teacher provided any. I get confused just reading the problem. Are there strategies??

 

Make sure you read all of the question before you start answering it. It's the most important thing you can do at all. Also, write down all of the information you get mathematically. If it says "the rate of change of volume with respect to time is proportional to the time" then you need to write down:

 

dV/dt = kt

 

You'll also find it'll become a lot easier when you write the stuff out in full.