Do your students believe that math is irrelevant to their lives? Sadly, all too many of them do, especially as they reach high school.
The article I discuss this week lists 10 occasions in which major Australian supermarkets got the mathematics behind their special offers totally wrong. Sometimes the “offer” was worse than the standard price, sometimes it was exactly the same. And occasionally the offer was better than the staff member who put up the marketing ticket realised.
I love this article for its immediate relevance to students. Very few people don’t enjoy finding a bargain, but no-one wants to be ripped off. The examples here provide lots of examples for students to figure out what each offer is, what it’s really worth, and suggest a better, more honest offer.
Buyer beware! Even though stores are using computers to create special ticket offers, human beings are required to think up the actual numbers in each offer. And sadly, some staff members don’t recognize their own mistakes before letting customers find out about the specials.
What do you think?
Do you do “shopping math” in your classroom? Share a comment below.
Reference Article
10 Times Aussie Supermarkets Failed at Math
► Worksheets connected with this week’s video:
- Shopping Math: Best Deals (free)
- Shopping Math: Best Deals (members-only full version)
- Shopping Math: Best Deals (members-only full version for UK currency)
► SUBSCRIBE on YouTube to learn more expert tips on teaching K-6 math for understanding