Imagine that you live in Birmingham, AL and you'll be traveling to Atlanta, GA this summer. There are a lot of things to take into account. More than likely, you'll be driving there. The distance is so short that it isn't worth the money to take a plane. The distance between Birmingham and Atlanta is roughly 160 miles. If the average speed limit between these two locations is 60 mph, how long will it take you to get there? Some simple arithmetic (160/60) tells us that it will take about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get there.
If you leave your house at 1 pm on the day of your trip, what time will it be when you arrive in Atlanta? Here, we have to take a little bit of extra information into account. Birmingham is located in the Central Time Zone of the United States, while Atlanta is located in the Eastern Time Zone. The difference between these locations is one hour. So if you leave at 1 pm Birmingham time, you'll actually be leaving at 2 pm Atlanta time. Take into account the 2 hours and 45 minutes you have to drive, and you'll arrive in Atlanta at around 4:45 pm. When coming back to Birmingham, you have to get rid of that extra hour when figuring out times. So if you leave at 1 pm Atlanta time to come back, you're actually leaving at noon Birmingham time. You'll arrive in Birmingham at around 2:45 pm.
How much gas will you have to buy? Suppose your car gets 25 miles to the gallon. If you're traveling the 160 miles it takes to get to Atlanta, then your car will use about 6 and a half gallons of gas to get there. Suppose gas is $3.00 a gallon. What is the minimum amount you'll have to pay for gas? Take 6.5 times $3.00 and you'll get about $19.50, which is the least amount you have to spend on gas to get there.
Leaving tomorrow and need to figure out all your numbers quickly? This site is a very handy tool which does just that. Input your times, budget, and other figures and you'll get all the information you need. Of course, if you're not leaving tomorrow, take some time to figure out what you'll need! It's good exercise for your brain, and it's fun!
I hope that you have a wonderful summer vacation! I have enjoyed reading about all of the practical uses for math. You and the other "math folks" have really helped to inspire me to stress the importance of mathematics to my children. We typically do "summer reading", but I think that I will initiate some "summer math" as well, but I will use some of your ideas about calculating gas mileage, planning reorganization of their furniture, and most of all- cooking! Thank you for sharing these wonderful techniques!
ReplyDeleteIt has been interesting to read all of your information. I will use the ideas and keep searching for ways to help students realize math is everywhere.
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