In 1970, Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin proclaimed April 22 to be "Earth Day." We are going to celebrate this important day by working in groups to solve some real-world problems. Hopefully, what we learn will help us discover more ways to help our planet.
Use your math skills to solve these problems. Be earth-friendly creative in responding. Can you do it without using any paper? You may copy and paste into the wiki or you may reply to the blog post. Be sure to include your initials in your post.
Problem 1
Rainforests cover only a small part of the Earth but they are home to more than half the world's plants and animals. It is estimated that rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 trees per minute. At this rate, how many are cut down every a day (24 hours)? Every week (7 days)? Hint: You need to determine the number of minutes in one day. Use the calculator on your computer.Problem 2
The average American uses 7 trees a year in paper, wood, and other products. If there are about 275 million Americans, how many trees are used in a year? Use the calculator on your computer.
Problem 3
Each American throws away about 60 pounds of plastic packaging each year. At this rate, about how many years would it take one person to have thrown away a ton of plastic? Hint: You need to find out how many pounds are in a ton.
Problem 4
When you shower, you use 5 gallons of water every minute. Most people take 5 minute showers. How many gallons of water does a family of 4 use in a week (assuming they each take a daily shower)? How much do they use in a month? Hint: You may want to create a table (you can create one on a word document) to help you organize your algebraic reasoning (think about number patterns and functions).
When you shower, you use 5 gallons of water every minute. Most people take 5 minute showers. How many gallons of water does a family of 4 use in a week (assuming they each take a daily shower)? How much do they use in a month? Hint: You may want to create a table (you can create one on a word document) to help you organize your algebraic reasoning (think about number patterns and functions).
Problem 5
A bath uses 50 gallons of water. How much water could a person save in a week taking a shower instead of a bath (assume you take 1 shower each day).
Problem 6
If each person took a 4 minute shower instead of a 5 minute shower, how much water could a single person save in a year?
Problem 7
A gallon of thrown away paint can seep into the Earth and pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water. A spilled gallon of gasoline can pollute 750,000 gallons of water. What kind of damage would be done by just 3 gallons of paint and 2 gallons of gasoline?
A bath uses 50 gallons of water. How much water could a person save in a week taking a shower instead of a bath (assume you take 1 shower each day).
Problem 6
If each person took a 4 minute shower instead of a 5 minute shower, how much water could a single person save in a year?
Problem 7
A gallon of thrown away paint can seep into the Earth and pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water. A spilled gallon of gasoline can pollute 750,000 gallons of water. What kind of damage would be done by just 3 gallons of paint and 2 gallons of gasoline?
Problem 8
It has been estimated that, on the average, each person in the United States discards about 32 pounds of solid waste each week. Some of the things that we dispose of can be broken down into: 5.1 pounds of ashes and dirt; 3.5 pounds of metal; 2.6 pounds of glass; 2.6 pounds of garbage; 2.2 pounds of wood, rags, and plastic. Make a bar graph to display this information.
It has been estimated that, on the average, each person in the United States discards about 32 pounds of solid waste each week. Some of the things that we dispose of can be broken down into: 5.1 pounds of ashes and dirt; 3.5 pounds of metal; 2.6 pounds of glass; 2.6 pounds of garbage; 2.2 pounds of wood, rags, and plastic. Make a bar graph to display this information.
Problem 9
Make a bar graph showing the annual household waste per person in each country:
(in pounds per person):
United States - 1930
Canada - 1157
Italy - 542
Japan - 758
Sweden - 661
Australia - 1500
Make a bar graph showing the annual household waste per person in each country:
(in pounds per person):
United States - 1930
Canada - 1157
Italy - 542
Japan - 758
Sweden - 661
Australia - 1500
Problem 10
Create your own problem for others to solve. Post it in your reply to this blog. Be sure you know the correct answer for your problem.
