word problem
noun
: a mathematical problem expressed entirely in words typically used as an educational tool
Examples of word problem in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In some classrooms, cicadas will be fodder for word problems and spelling tests.
—
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
Using an Android phone or tablet, students can now use Circle to Search to get AI assistance on mathematical word problems from their homework.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 14 May 2024
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica A screenshot of a mathematical word problem from GPT-3.5.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023
Angry people persisted longer and did better at solving word problems, for instance.
—Heather Lench, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024
Tackling harder math problems A few months before Google published its paper on chain-of-thought prompting, OpenAI released a data set of 8,500 grade-school math word problems (called GSM8K) and a paper describing a new technique for solving them.
—Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023
In elementary school, students may have trouble with math functions like addition and subtraction, word problems, counting money, or remembering directions.
—Jackie Mader, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2023
What’s missing from Younie’s math lesson are the word problems and whiteboards that typically characterize math classes in Oregon elementary schools.
—oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2023
Giada, one of her twin 10-year-old daughters, has dyslexia and also struggles with math, especially the word problems.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
Using an Android phone or tablet, students can now use Circle to Search to get AI assistance on mathematical word problems from their homework.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 14 May 2024
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica A screenshot of a mathematical word problem from GPT-3.5.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023
Angry people persisted longer and did better at solving word problems, for instance.
—Heather Lench, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024
Tackling harder math problems A few months before Google published its paper on chain-of-thought prompting, OpenAI released a data set of 8,500 grade-school math word problems (called GSM8K) and a paper describing a new technique for solving them.
—Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023
In elementary school, students may have trouble with math functions like addition and subtraction, word problems, counting money, or remembering directions.
—Jackie Mader, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2023
What’s missing from Younie’s math lesson are the word problems and whiteboards that typically characterize math classes in Oregon elementary schools.
—oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2023
Giada, one of her twin 10-year-old daughters, has dyslexia and also struggles with math, especially the word problems.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'word problem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Word problem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word%20problem. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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