Students improve their understanding of systems of equations. Easy level problems use inequalities and whole numbers, harder problems involve percentage, ratio, and multiplicative relationships. Students add objects to a scale to keep it balanced. Students interpret statements about the objects and apply their knowledge of like variables and substitution of variables to add the right objects to the scale. Easy problems involve functions of one variable.
Harder problems involve functions of two variables.
There are four or more statues in each room, each decorated with a combination of precious stones. The values of these stones are given in certain terms. Students arrange these statues from least to greatest value and hone their ability to construct linear algebraic statements. The number of stones, the number of statutes, and the complexity of the combinations increase as problems grow harder. Students find the treasure by solving the algebraic equations expressed in the clues.