Solve word problems using guess-and-check

Key notes :

🔍 What is Guess-and-Check?

• A strategy where you make a guess, check if it works, and then adjust your guess until you find the correct answer.
• Useful when the problem does not have a direct formula.

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🧠 Steps to Use Guess-and-Check

👉 Step 1: Understand the problem

Read the question carefully. Identify what you know and what you need to find.
📘 Example: “A basket has some apples. If we put 4 apples in each bag, we can make 6 bags. How many apples are there?”

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👉 Step 2: Make a reasonable guess 🧩

Think of a number that might work.

• Your guess must be related to the problem.
• It should make sense (not too large or too small).

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👉 Step 3: Check your guess ✔️

Use your guess in the problem and see if it fits.
Example: Guess 20 apples → 20 ÷ 4 = 5 bags (Not correct)

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👉 Step 4: Adjust your guess 🔄

If your guess is too small, try a bigger number.
If it is too big, try a smaller number.

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👉 Step 5: Continue until you find the correct answer 🎯

Keep trying and checking until your answer matches the conditions in the problem.

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📝 Why Guess-and-Check Helps?

• Encourages critical thinking 🤔
• Helps you learn through trial and error
• Makes you understand the problem better
• Builds confidence when solving tricky word problems 💪

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🎒 Common Examples for Practice

🍬 Example 1:

Raju has some candies. He gives 7 candies to each of his 5 friends. How many candies did he have?
Try guesses like 35, 30, 40… until it fits.

🐶 Example 2:

A pet store has cages with 3 puppies in each. There are 18 puppies. How many cages are there?
Guess number of cages → multiply by 3 → check.

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🤩 Tips for Students

• Always start with an easy guess.
• Write guesses in a table for clear thinking.
• Don’t be afraid to be wrong — guessing is part of learning!
• Check your answer twice to be sure. ✔️✔️

Learn with an example

Let’s practice!🖊️