We all know math is important in everyday situations, right? This lesson will show just a few examples in which math skills are necessary in order to "solve" the problem! Example #1: Use a chart or timetable Joe needs to take a train from Penn Station to Great Neck on Tuesday. He needs to be in Great Neck before 10:00 in the morning. What time is the last train he can catch from Penn Station?
THINK: What column does he need to look at first? ANSWER: His arrival has to be before 10:00 AM and that limits his departure times from Penn Station. So scroll down the Great Neck column to the last time BEFORE 10:00. The last time before 10:00 is 9:54 AM, so then read to the left to find the departure time from Great Neck for that train. That time is 9:20 AM.
Example #2: Shopping! Janet went to the store with $5. She bought soup that cost $2.19 and a loaf of bread for $1.99. Does she have enough money? THINK: How do you find the total of her bill? Does she receive change? ANSWER: You add the two items, and then you must subtract that sum from $5.00. The total is $4.18, and when subtracted from $5.00, her change will be $0.82.
Example #3: MORE Shopping! Molly also went to the store, but to buy detergent. She can buy Brand A or Brand B. Brand A is 64 ounces for $4.99, and Brand B is 48 ounces for $3.99. Which is the better deal? THINK: How do you find the cost per ounce? ANSWER: You do two division problems. 4.99 ÷ 64 and 3.99 ÷ 48. The cost per ounce for Brand A is 0.078 and the cost of Brand B per ounce is 0.083, so because you can compare decimals, Brand A is the better buy.
Example #4: Sports! David and Emily like different baseball teams. David's favorite team's Win-Loss record is 15 and 10. Emily's team's Win-Loss record is 9 and 5. Whose team has the better percentage of wins? THINK: How do you find percentages? ANSWER: You know, from math class, that you divide the games won, by the total games played for each team. So David will divide 15 by 25, and Emily will divide 9 by 14. David's team has won 60% games played. Emily's team has won 64%, so Emily's team is slightly better at this time!
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