Math basics › When you're stuck

I don't know where to start

Say what you are looking for

Out loud, in ordinary words. “I need the value of x that makes this true.” If you cannot finish that sentence, that is the real problem, and it is a much smaller one than the whole question.

Write down what you were given

Every number and every condition, in a list down the side. Problems feel impossible mostly because the information is still trapped in a paragraph.

Ask what kind of thing this is

Is it an equation to solve, an expression to simplify, a shape to measure, a rate to find? You have almost certainly done one of this kind before. Find that one in your notes and put them side by side.

Do the very first step even if you cannot see the second

Combine like terms. Draw the triangle. Substitute the number you know. Being stuck is usually not knowing step four, and step four becomes obvious once one, two and three are on paper.