Hands-on math!

Washington State Math Olympiad
Hints and Solutions
2015 Grade 8 Algebra

Problem
1) Leena is descending a flight of stairs. She is one-fifth the way down. If she takes 28 more steps, she will be one-third the way down. How many steps are in the flight of stairs?
2) The table shows data on the sales of specialty cakes at a local bakery. Assuming the data is linear, what is the price for 12 cakes?
3) Your friend asks for your help with her project because they know you could finish it in half the time it would take them. Without your help, it would take your friends 30 days to finish the project. Working together, how long will it take to finish the project?
4) Hawk will receive an A in math for the semester if the mean of his test scores is at least a 90. If his first two test scores are as shown in the table, write an inequality for the score Hawk needs on his third test to receive an A for the semester.

5) 2a + 3b + 4c = 331
a + b = 56
b + c = 78
Solve for b.