MEASURING MADNESS

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MEASURING MADNESS
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MEASURING MADNESS

• Did you know that the United States and Europe
  use many different units of measure?
• For example, the two regions make use of
  different units for things like
• distance,
• money,
• temperature,
• 
  dimensions (width, height, depth),
• weight,
• and volume.
•  
• Because of these differences, life in Spain can
  sometimes be difficult for your language
  assistant, Kathryn.
• Please use your math skills to help her!
• You will need to use the conversion factors
  provided by your teacher.

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1. Distance

• Kathryn is starting to feel homesick, since she
  lives very far away from her home. After
  searching online, she finds out that there are
  approximately 4,080 miles (mi) between Saint
  Paul, Minnesota and Tineo.

However, when she tells this to her Spanish
friends, they don't understand her! Can you help
her convert this distance to kilometers (km)?
Solution 4080 mi / 1.6 mi/km 6528 km
?

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2. Money

• Kathryn needs to purchase a plane ticket to fly
  home for the summer. She finds a flight from
  Oviedo to London for 85, and a flight from
  London to Minneapolis for 480.

However, she would like to determine the cost of
her travels in her native currency. What will be
the total cost of Kathryn's trip in U.S. dollars
()?
Solution Oviedo-London 85 x 1.3138 /
111.67 Lo-Min 480 / 0.8532 / 562.59
562.59 x 1.3138 / 739.13 111.67
739.13 850.80
?

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3. Temperature

• Brrr! It is getting chilly in Tineo. Kathryn
  looks at the weather forecast and sees that it
  will be 0C (Celsius) next week.

But when she tells this to her parents in
Minnesota, they say, "That's nothing! It's 2F
(Fahrenheit) here!" How much colder is it in
Minnesota than Tineo? Calculate the difference
in both Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees.
Solution 0ºC 9/5 x 0 32 32ºF ?
30ºF more in Tineo 2ºF 5/9 x (2-32) -17ºC
? 17ºC less in Minnesota
?

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4. Dimensions and Weight

• Kathryn will take a Ryanair flight to visit her
  friend Bianca in Huelva. To avoid paying checked
  baggage fees of 40 per bag, she would like to
  bring only a carry-on suitcase (one piece of
  cabin baggage).

Ryanair's website tells her that her suitcase
must be no bigger than 55 x 40 x 20 centimeters
(cm), and that it cannot weigh more than 10
kilograms (kg). Because she is American, these
measures make no sense to her! She has a bag
that measures 19.3 x 10.4 x 7.7 inches (in). It
weighs 19.7 pounds (lb). Help Kathryn figure out
if her bag meets Ryanair's standards by
converting these American measures to centimeters
(cm) and kilograms (kg).
Solution 19.3 x 10.4 x 7.7 in 49.02 x
26.42 x 19.6 cm OK! 19.7 lb 8.94 kg OK!

?

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5. Volume

• On Thanksgiving Day, Kathryn would like to make
  a traditional American pumpkin pie to share with
  her students.

However, she forgot to buy milk at the store and
only has 200 milliliters (ml) in her fridge. Her
recipe from the United States calls for 6 fluid
ounces (fl oz) or ¾ cup. Does she have enough
milk to make the pie?
Solution 200 ml x 0.0338 fl oz /
ml 6.76 fl oz
?

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BONUS QUESTIONS

• If you finished, good job! Thanks for helping
  out your language assistant! Here are some other
  fun things you can do to practice conversions
• Many people in the United States enjoy running
  marathons, which are races of 26.2 miles (mi).
  How far are these races in kilometers (km)? Do
  you have any desire to run one?

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BONUS QUESTIONS

• Imagine that you are a millionaire in the United
  States. That is, you have 1,000,000.00. If you
  move to Europe and convert your money to euros
  (), will you be considered a millionaire there
  as well?

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BONUS QUESTIONS

• The average February temperature in Asturias is
  8C (Celsius). The average February temperature
  in Minnesota is 13F (Fahrenheit). Calculate the
  difference between these two averages, in both
  Celsius and Fahrenheit. Do you think that
  Minnesotans are crazy for living where they do?

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BONUS QUESTIONS

• Express your height the American way, as a
  combination of feet (ft) and inches (in). For
  example, Ricky Rubio is 6 feet 4 inches tall.
  Next, figure out how tall Pau Gasol is in feet
  (ft) and inches (in). In Europe, his height is
  given as 2.13 meters (m). Who is taller you, or
  Pau Gasol? ? How much taller is he than you?
  Give your answer in both centimeters (cm) and
  inches (in).

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BONUS QUESTIONS

• You read that the average daily coffee
  consumption of someone in the United States is
  3.2 cups or 25.6 fluid ounces (fl oz). Spanish
  coffee might be stronger than American coffee,
  but it is often served in very small quantities!
  How many small servings of Spanish coffee of
  approximately 50 milliliters (ml) each are
  equivalent to an average American's daily coffee
  consumption?