Tackle complex real-world scenarios requiring multiple mathematical concepts and strategies.
A school is organizing a fundraiser to buy new playground equipment. They plan to sell cookies for $2.50 each and lemonade for $1.75 per cup. The school has 4 classes with 25 students each. Each student is expected to sell 3 cookies and 2 cups of lemonade. The playground equipment costs $1,200. Will they raise enough money? If not, how much more do they need to raise?
R - Read & Understand:
• 4 classes × 25 students = 100 students total
• Each student sells: 3 cookies + 2 cups lemonade
• Prices: $2.50 per cookie, $1.75 per cup
• Goal: $1,200 for equipment
I - Identify & Plan:
• Find total cookies and lemonade sold
• Calculate total revenue
• Compare to goal
D - Do the Math:
• Total cookies: 100 × 3 = 300 cookies
• Total lemonade: 100 × 2 = 200 cups
• Cookie revenue: 300 × $2.50 = $750
• Lemonade revenue: 200 × $1.75 = $350
• Total revenue: $750 + $350 = $1,100
E - Evaluate & Check:
• $1,100 < $1,200, so they need $100 more
• Answer: No, they need $100 more
A community garden is 40 feet long and 30 feet wide. They want to plant vegetables in 3/4 of the area and flowers in the remaining area. The vegetable section will be divided into 12 equal plots. Each plot needs 2.5 pounds of fertilizer. Fertilizer costs $4.50 per pound. The flower section needs 1.25 pounds of fertilizer per square foot. What's the total cost for fertilizer?
R - Read & Understand:
• Garden: 40 ft × 30 ft = 1,200 sq ft total
• Vegetables: 3/4 of area, divided into 12 plots
• Flowers: 1/4 of area
• Fertilizer costs: $4.50 per pound
I - Identify & Plan:
• Find vegetable area and flower area
• Calculate fertilizer needed for each section
• Find total cost
D - Do the Math:
• Vegetable area: 1,200 × 3/4 = 900 sq ft
• Flower area: 1,200 × 1/4 = 300 sq ft
• Vegetable fertilizer: 12 plots × 2.5 lbs = 30 lbs
• Flower fertilizer: 300 × 1.25 = 375 lbs
• Total fertilizer: 30 + 375 = 405 lbs
• Total cost: 405 × $4.50 = $1,822.50
E - Evaluate & Check:
• $1,822.50 seems reasonable for a large garden
• Answer: $1,822.50
A family of 4 is planning a 5-day vacation. They'll drive 350 miles to their destination at 55 miles per hour, stay for 3 days, then drive back. Their car gets 25 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.20 per gallon. Hotel costs $120 per night. They budget $50 per person per day for food and activities. What's their total vacation cost?
R - Read & Understand:
• 4 people, 5 days total (2 travel + 3 stay)
• 350 miles each way = 700 miles total
• Car: 25 mpg, gas $3.20/gallon
• Hotel: $120/night for 3 nights
• Food/activities: $50/person/day
I - Identify & Plan:
• Calculate gas cost
• Calculate hotel cost
• Calculate food/activity cost
• Add all costs
D - Do the Math:
• Gas needed: 700 ÷ 25 = 28 gallons
• Gas cost: 28 × $3.20 = $89.60
• Hotel cost: 3 × $120 = $360
• Food/activities: 4 people × 5 days × $50 = $1,000
• Total cost: $89.60 + $360 + $1,000 = $1,449.60
E - Evaluate & Check:
• $1,449.60 for 4 people for 5 days seems reasonable
• Answer: $1,449.60
A school is planning a field trip for 3 classes of 28 students each. The bus costs $200, and each student pays $15 for admission. The school has $1,000 in the field trip fund. How much more money do they need? If they can't raise more money, how many students can go on the trip?
Your solution:
A pizza party for 20 people needs 2.5 slices per person. Each pizza has 8 slices and costs $12. They also need 3 drinks per person at $2.50 each. What's the total cost? If they have a budget of $200, how much money will be left over?
Your solution:
A basketball tournament has 8 teams. Each team plays every other team once. Each game lasts 1.5 hours, and there are 2 courts available. If games start at 9 AM and there's a 30-minute break between games, what time will the tournament end? If each team pays $50 to enter, how much money is collected?
Your solution:
A rectangular garden is 24 feet long and 18 feet wide. You want to plant flowers in 2/3 of the area and vegetables in the rest. The flower section will be divided into 6 equal beds. Each flower bed needs 1.5 pounds of fertilizer at $3.75 per pound. The vegetable section needs 2 pounds of fertilizer per square foot at $2.50 per pound. What's the total fertilizer cost?
Your solution: