The Great Pants Profits Contest! - Game Script Adding and Subtracting Rational Numbers


Background

Luigi and Yang are the biggest pants retailers in town: on any given day you can see people walking through the streets in Luigi's woolen pants or Yang's silk pants. The two rivals have hired your crew of mathematical and financial experts to settle, once and for all, who the Town's real King of Pants is!

Characters

Gregory Mathematician

An algebra and finance geek, Gregory has been an avid mathematician all his life.


Your Task

Working with your team, compare the finances of Luigi and Yang's businesses.

Don't forget to show your working!


Resources

Scene - 01

Li Mathematician

Li travelled from South Korea to learn mathematics and get a job as a mathematicians in the USA.


Your Task

Working with your team, compare the finances of Luigi and Yang's businesses.

Don't forget to show your working!


Resources

Scene - 01

Oskar Mathematician

Oskar comes from a proud family of business analysts, and he is eager to join the family business.


Your Task

Working with your team, compare the finances of Luigi and Yang's businesses.

Don't forget to show your working!


Resources

Scene - 01

Joanna Mathematician

In school algebra was her best friend and history her greatest enemy, now Joanna enjoys a career as a business analyst and gets to practice her math every day!


Your Task

Working with your team, compare the finances of Luigi and Yang's businesses.

Don't forget to show your working!


Resources

Scene - 01

Wilma Mathematician

Wilma always dreaded going to math class until she discovered a passion for the subject in middle school.


Your Task

Working with your team, compare the finances of Luigi and Yang's businesses.

Don't forget to show your working!


Resources

Scene - 01

Scene 1: The Great Pants Profits Contest!



1.

Public Message

You will be given multiple tasks and questions to answer in your analysis of Luigi and Yang's businesses. Make sure your answers are written on paper and that you show all your working for every question.

Let's find out who's making the larger profit!

* * *

Begin with the 'Luigi and Yang's Profits' resource. Firstly, to make the rest of your calculations easier, work out the totals for amounts spent and amounts earned. Many of the figures are broken up or incomplete. Read carefully if the figures are paid per month or per week.



2.

Private (a while after previous message)

Gregory:

Work together with your teammates to conduct this financial analysis. Don't forget to show your working on a piece of paper!

Li:

Work together with your teammates to conduct this financial analysis. Don't forget to show your working on a piece of paper!

Oskar:

Work together with your teammates to conduct this financial analysis. Don't forget to show your working on a piece of paper!

Joanna:

Work together with your teammates to conduct this financial analysis. Don't forget to show your working on a piece of paper!

Wilma:

Work together with your teammates to conduct this financial analysis. Don't forget to show your working on a piece of paper!



3.

Public Message (a while after previous message)

By the end of the fourth week there was a net loss or net gain for each shop: determine each shop's net profit. Who is the victor in the Great Pants Profit Contest?

Show the difference between the shops' profits on a number line. 

One or more shops made a loss. How much would this/these shops have had to make to break even?



4.

Private (a while before next message)

Gregory:

Luigi has decided that he is going to grow his shop to have a bigger range of pants as well as making it more attractive to customers. He has put together a list of costs, but his dog, Sparky, managed to chew holes all over the list! 

Help Luigi find the cost of his sewing machine. He remembers that it was the cost of the colour dyes and the ornaments combined.

Remember to work with your teammates to find the solutions!

Li:

Luigi has decided that he is going to grow his shop to have a bigger range of pants as well as making it more attractive to customers. Luigi has put together a list of costs, but his dog, Sparky, managed to chew holes all over the list! 

Help Luigi find the cost of the new signsHe remembers that the signs cost the same as the sewing machine minus the cost of the air conditioning unit.

Remember to work with your teammates to find the solutions!

Oskar:

Luigi has decided that he is going to grow his shop to have a bigger range of pants as well as making it more attractive to customers. Luigi has put together a list of costs, but his dog, Sparky, managed to chew holes all over the list! 

Help Luigi find the cost of the shelves. He remembers that the shelves should be double the cost of the signs...

Remember to work with your teammates to find the solutions!

Joanna:

Luigi has decided that he is going to grow his shop to have a bigger range of pants as well as making it more attractive to customers. Luigi has put together a list of costs, but his dog, Sparky, managed to chew holes all over the list! 

Help Luigi find the cost of the potted plantHe remembers that the potted plant was 5/6 of the advertising costs.

Remember to work with your teammates to find the solutions!

Wilma:

Luigi has decided that he is going to grow his shop to have a bigger range of pants as well as making it more attractive to customers. Luigi has put together a list of costs, but his dog, Sparky, managed to chew holes all over the list! 

Help Luigi find the cost of advertising. He remembers that advertising was 1.2 times the cost of the potted plant.

Remember to work with your teammates to find the solutions!



5.

Public Message (a while before next message)

Luigi and Yang hold a 4 hour sale at the beginning of the following month. Using the 'Sale Day' resource and the following clues, calculate the four missing values.

In Luigi's third hour, he sold as much as his first hour plus second hour.

In Yang's second hour, he sold as much as Luigi's first hour plus fourth hour.

 

Finally, use a number line to show the difference between Luigi and Yang's totals from the sale.



End Message

Thanks for helping Luigi and Yang with their businesses!

You have all made valuable contributions to the town's pants industry, and both Luigi and Yang are very grateful.



Discussion Points

  • How do you think people use math in their day to day lives and in their jobs? What kinds of jobs use math?
  • How do YOU use math in your daily life?
  • Do you think math is an important subject for everyone to learn?