The RQWQCQ Strategy for Solving Math Word Problems

RQWQCQ is a good strategy to use when solving math word problems. Each of the letters in RQWQCQ stands for a step in the strategy.

Read

Read the entire problem to learn what it is about. You may find it helpful to read the problem out loud, form a picture of the problem in your mind, or draw a picture of the problem.

Question

Find the question to be answered in the problem. Often the question is directly stated. When it is not stated, you will have to identify the question to be answered.

Write

Write the facts you need to answer the question. It is helpful to cross out any facts presented in the problem that are not needed to answer the question. Sometimes, all of facts presented in the problem are needed to answer the question.

Question

Ask yourself "What computations must I do to answer the question?"

Compute

Set up the problem on paper and do the computations. Check your computations for accuracy and make any needed corrections. Once you have done this, circle your answer.

Question

Look at your answer and ask yourself: "Is my answer possible?" You may find that your answer is not possible because it does not fit with the facts presented in the problem. When this happens, go back through the steps of RQWQCQ until you arrive at an answer that is possible.

Use RQWQCQ to help you correctly solve math word problems.

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U. S. Presidential Trivia Questions and Answers

President trivia questions and answers.

What U.S. president's State of the Union address lasted a record 81 minutes?

A: Bill Clinton's.

What U.S. president was born William Jefferson Blythe IV?

A: Bill Clinton.

What 1970's president openly discussed his battle with hemorrhoids?

A: Jimmy Carter.  

What U.S. president had the shortest life?

A: John F. Kennedy.

What former president was on an African hunting trip when his enemy J. P. Morgan quipped: "Let every lion do his duty"?

A: Theodore Roosevelt.

What conspirator in the Lincoln assassination was pardoned for saving the lives of prison guards during a yellow fever epidemic?

A: Dr. Samuel Mudd.

What president opined: "Once you get into this great stream of history you can't get out"?

A: Richard Nixon.

Who was the first president to utter "We shall overcome" before a joint session of Congress?

A: Lyndon B. Johnson. 

What future president was the only U.S. senator from a Confederate state to remain in Congress after secession?

A: Andrew Jackson.

What president's mug graces a $100,000 bill?

A: Woodrow Wilson.

What future U.S. president received the last rites of the Catholic Church after an infection following spinal surgery in 1954?

A: John F. Kennedy.

What war saw James Madison become the first U.S. president to command a military unit during his term in office?

A: The war of 1812.

What document did President Andrew Johnson want a copy of placed under his head upon his burial?

A: The U.S. Constitution.

Who was the first daughter of a U.S. president to pose nude for a Playboy video?

A: Patti Davis.

How many U.S. states are named after a president?

A: One.

Who is the only president to have survived two assassination attempts by women?

A: Gerald Ford.

What portly U.S. president was the first to be a golf nut?

A: William Howard Taft.

What future president's Texas classmates ran a shot of a jackass under his yearbook photo?

A: Lyndon B. Johnson's.

What day does the U.S. president traditionally deliver a weekly radio address?

A: Saturday.

What horse-loving future president cheated on an eye exam to join the cavalry reserves in the 1930's?

A: Ronald Regan.

What U.S. president threw out the most Opening Day baseballs?

A: Franklin D. Roosevelt.

What card game did Dwight D. Eisenhower play fanatically while planning for D-Day?

A: Bridge.

What White House lawyer first revealed the existence of an "enemies list" and "hush money" at the Watergate hearings?

A: John Dean.

What date saw FDR sign the U.S. declaration of war against Japan?

A: December 8, 1941.

What U.S. president installed solar panels on the White House roof?

A: Jimmy Carter.

What First Lady of the 1980s was shocked to find "a tremendous rat" swimming with her in the White House Pool?

A: Barbara Bush.

What future anchor was the only female reporter to tag along with Richard Nixon on his historic trip to China?

A: Barbara Walters.

Who revealed that the U.S. had a hydrogen bomb in his last State of the Union speech?

A: Harry S. Truman

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Temperature Scales

Temperature is the level of heat in a gas, liquid, or solid. Three scales are commonly used for measuring temperature. The Celsius and Fahrenheit scales are the most common. The Kelvin scale is primarily used in scientific experiments.

Celsius Scale

The Celsius scale was invented in 1742 by the Swedish astronomer, Anders Celsius. This scale divides the range of temperature between the freezing and boiling temperatures of water into 100 equal parts. You will sometimes find this scale identified as the centigrade scale. Temperatures on the Celsius scale are known as degree Celsius (ºC).

Fahrenheit Scale

The Fahrenheit scale was established by the German-Dutch physicist, Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, in 1724. While many countries now use the Celsius scale, the Fahrenheit scale is widely used in the United States. It divides the difference between the melting and boiling points of water into 180 equal intervals. Temperatures on the Fahrenheit scale are known as degree Fahrenheit (ºF).

Kelvin Scale

The Kelvin scale is named after William Thompson Kelvin, a British physicist who devised it in 1848. It extends the Celsius scale down to absolute zero, a hypothetical temperature characterized by a complete absence of heat energy. Temperatures on this scale are called Kelvins (K).

Converting Temperatures

It is sometimes necessary to convert temperature from one scale to another. Here is how to do this.

1. To convert from ºC to ºF use the formula:  ºF = ºC x 1.8 + 32.
2. To convert from ºF to ºC use the formula:  ºC = (ºF-32) ÷ 1.8.
3. To convert from K to ºC use the formula:  ºC = K – 273.15
4. To convert from ºC to K use the formula: K = ºC + 273.15.
5. To convert from ºF to K use the formula: K = 5/9 (ºF – 32) + 273.15.
6. To convert from K to ºF use the formula:  ºF = 1.8(K – 273.15) + 32.

Comparing Temperatures

Here are some common comparisons between temperatures on the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales.

TEMPERATURE	ºC	ºF
Boiling point of water	100	212
Freezing point of water	0	32
Average human body temperature	37	98.6
Comfortable room temperature	20 to 25	68 to 77

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