Question:A workshop lasting 8 hours 30 minutes consists of instruction time (i minutes) and break time (b minutes), where i...

1. TRANSLATE the problem information

• Given information:
  • Total workshop duration: 8 hours 30 minutes
  • Workshop = instruction time (i) + break time (b)
  • Instruction time: 335 minutes
  • Find: break time in minutes
• What this tells us: We need everything in the same units (minutes) to work with the equation

2. TRANSLATE the total time to minutes

• Convert 8 hours 30 minutes to minutes:
  • 8 hours = \(8 \times 60 = 480\) minutes
  • Plus 30 minutes = \(480 + 30 = 510\) minutes

3. INFER the solution approach

• We know that instruction + breaks = total time
• This gives us: \(\mathrm{i} + \mathrm{b} = 510\)
• Since \(\mathrm{i} = 335\), we can solve directly for b

4. Solve for break time

• Substitute known values: \(335 + \mathrm{b} = 510\)
• Solve: \(\mathrm{b} = 510 - 335 = 175\) minutes

Answer: B (175)

Why Students Usually Falter on This Problem

Most Common Error Path:

Poor TRANSLATE skill: Forgetting to convert hours to minutes or making conversion errors

Students might work directly with "8.5 hours" and 335 minutes, mixing units. Or they might convert incorrectly (like thinking 8 hours 30 minutes = 8.3 hours). This leads to using wrong total values in their equation and getting incorrect break times.

This may lead them to select Choice A (165) or other incorrect options.

The Bottom Line:

This problem tests whether students can consistently work in a single unit system. The math itself is simple once everything is properly converted to minutes, but the unit conversion step is where mistakes happen.