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Teach Math with Current Events

A percentage and estimation lesson
Featuring the iPhone 5

 

Current events have a place in every subject, even math. And our weekly current events video, The Week in Rap, isn’t just useful for social studies. In fact, our report on the iPhone 5 from last week’s Week in Rap video lends itself well to this mini math lesson.

The New York Times reported on the swarm of Apple fans lined up to purchase the iPhone 5. Although Apple hasn’t released any exact sales numbers for the iPhone 5 on launch day, analyst Gene Munster made an educated guess by counting customers lined up outside of Apple stores.

[Gene Munster] counted 775 people in line at the Fifth Avenue store, for instance, 68 percent more than the number queued up at the same store when the iPhone 4S went on sale last year, Mr. Munster wrote in a research note. Mr. Munster said the heavier store traffic gave him confidence in his estimate that Apple could sell eight million iPhone 5’s through this weekend.

Have students read the full New York Times story and ask them to solve the following word problems. The word problems ask students to apply percentage and estimation skills.

  1. 775 people were in line at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in Manhattan this year, 68% more people than last year. How many customers were lined up outside Fifth Avenue last year?
  2. 1,300 people were lined up in front of the Fifth Avenue Apple store. There are four other Apple stores in New York City. Estimate how many iPhone 5’s were sold at the five New York City Apple stores on launch day. Explain your reasoning.
  3. Using the data from the article, estimate how many iPhones will be sold in a month. Explain your reasoning.

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