Could you be a millionaire?

October 2011

STAIR

N.ME.06.06 Represent rational numbers as fractions or terminating decimals when possible, and translate

between these representations.

Objective: The students will apply strategies to accurately solve a contextual problem and understand

how to use formulas and arithmetic operations with fractions and decimals.

Decimals and Volume

Introduction Volume Activity: Could you be a millionaire? Assessment

Introduction

This STAIR project is designed for Ms. Pate’s 6th grade Math class. You are to navigate through this project alone. There is a menu to help guide you through the activities. There are also boxes to check your answers. There will also be a final assessment at the end to check your comprehension. Let’s get started!

Could you be a millionaire?

“Oh my! Mrs. Webb just called and said she won the lottery! She won $2 million dollars. The money is in two suitcases, each containing $1 million in one-dollar bills. She said she will give you one suitcase if you go pick them up from a man in a black suit at the Sparty Statue at 5 pm tonight. Could this be true?”

Could you be a millionaire?

Think about: Why or why not this could be true and how we could find out for sure.– Is it possible she could win the lottery?– Why would she give away $1 million dollars?– What does a million look like?– Could it fit in a standard size suitcase?

Finding Volume

To find the space a three-dimensional (3-D) object can hold we need to find the volume.

Volume Formula: length x width x height

Steps to Solving

You will need to make a:– Prediction: a complete sentence predicting if the

situation is true or not and why– Plan: a complete sentence or two describing how

you are going to solve the problem– Evidence: Computation or math work done to solve

the problem– Conclusion: what you found to be true or false and

support your answer with evidence

Given the dimensions below, can $1,000,000 fit in one dollar bills fit in a standard size suitcase?

26 in. x 26 in. x 10 in.

6 in. x 2.5 in. x .004 in.or

6 in. x 5/2 in. x 1/250 in.

Solve the problem

Take a few minutes and write down your prediction and plan.

Click on the button below to see some examples:

Prediction and Plan

Prediction: I think Mrs. Webb really did win the lottery and the money will fit in the suitcase.

OR Prediction: I think the money will measure out to

be more than the size of the suitcase, therefore, the story was false.

Plan: I will find the volume of one million dollars and the volume of the suitcase. Then, I will compare the two to see if the volume of the dollars is smaller that the size of the suitcase.

Solve the problem

Now, using the dimensions below, calculate and show your work to decide if one million dollars can fit. Remember there can be more than one solution!

6 in. x 2.5 in. x .004 in.or

6 in. x 5/2 in. x 1/250 in.26 in. x 26 in. x 10 in.

Conclusion

Write down your conclusion statement based on your work.

Assessment: Show off what you’ve learned!

1. What is the volume of the suitcase? A) 6,760 in.3

B) 676 in.2

C) 6,760 in. 2

Correct!! Good Work

26 x 26 x 10 = 6,760 in.3

Multiply the length times width times height of the suitcase.

26in

10in26in

Try Again! You can do it!

Make sure you refer to the volume formula and don’t forget your units!

Assessment: Show off what you’ve learned!

2. What is the volume of the one million dollars?

A) 15 in2

B) 15,000 in3

C) 60,000 in3

Correct!! Great Job!

6 x 2.5 x .004 = .06 in3

Multiply the length times width times height of a dollar bill.

.06 x 1,000,000 = 60,000 in3

Multiply the size of a dollar bill time the total number that need to fit into the suitcase.

.004 in2.5 in6 in

Try Again! You can do it!

Make sure you refer to the volume formula and don’t forget your units!

Conclusion

Based on the information you found can one million dollars fit into the suitcase?

Yes No

Correct!!

No, the money cannot fit into the suitcase because the volume of the dollars is 60,000 in3 and that is larger than the size of the suitcase 6,760 in3, so Mrs. Webb’s story was false.

Try Again! You can do it!

Compare the volumes of the two items.

Your finished!Keep up the great work!