I was browsing around my local supermarket the other day - shout out to New World Thorndon for it’s excellent craft beer selection - and realised that most of the math I’ve had to do outside of school has been in this place.
It’s a context ripe for real-world mathematical investigation - maths which will be helpful IRL (especially if you’re on tight budget).
I’ve jotted down a few rough ideas for a ‘Supermarket Maths’ unit for school. The prompts for these questions could be photos or videos you’ve taken.
There are a few here, but I’m sure there are more options... do you have any more ideas I can add? Leave a comment!
- calories per item and total calories per meal
- total price for a meal
- price per serving
- compare the price of items to other similar items
- price per ml or kg
- buying in bulk V buying single items
- buying little chippie packets V a big pack
- pre-cut items (ie, carrots, celery, apple slices) V normal
- working within a budget, making choices
- discounts and sales, coupons
- Fly Buys / loyalty programs - is it worth it?
- calculating GST
- cost of import items v local
- cost between different supermarket chains V cost of fuel (the cheapest, the most expensive)
- online shopping - is it cheaper?
- going to the local farmers market (+petrol) - is it cheaper?
- charting the cost of fruit / vegetables through the seasons
- Christmas Club, how much do you save?
- What % do farmers make / distributors etc.
- could you grow it for cheaper?
- the cost of plastic bags V buying reusable
- cheapest / healthiest meals you can make for a day / week
- fuel vouchers - how much can you save?
- How much time do you save by going through the self-checkout?
- What is the busiest time for supermarkets?
- Price according to position on the shelf (more expensive at eye level?)
- Average distance to the bread / milk (why is the bread always at the back?)
- Time in supermarket V total purchase cost (ever noticed how there are very few windows and clocks in supermarkets?)
- Do you save money by using a shopping list?
It’s a context ripe for real-world mathematical investigation - maths which will be helpful IRL (especially if you’re on tight budget).
I’ve jotted down a few rough ideas for a ‘Supermarket Maths’ unit for school. The prompts for these questions could be photos or videos you’ve taken.
There are a few here, but I’m sure there are more options... do you have any more ideas I can add? Leave a comment!
Supermarket Maths:
- servings per item (as per the serving size suggestions)- calories per item and total calories per meal
- total price for a meal
- price per serving
- compare the price of items to other similar items
- price per ml or kg
- buying in bulk V buying single items
- buying little chippie packets V a big pack
- pre-cut items (ie, carrots, celery, apple slices) V normal
- working within a budget, making choices
- discounts and sales, coupons
- Fly Buys / loyalty programs - is it worth it?
- calculating GST
- cost of import items v local
- cost between different supermarket chains V cost of fuel (the cheapest, the most expensive)
- online shopping - is it cheaper?
- going to the local farmers market (+petrol) - is it cheaper?
- charting the cost of fruit / vegetables through the seasons
- Christmas Club, how much do you save?
- What % do farmers make / distributors etc.
- could you grow it for cheaper?
- the cost of plastic bags V buying reusable
- cheapest / healthiest meals you can make for a day / week
- fuel vouchers - how much can you save?
Supermarket Maths - Statistics:
- What’s the best checkout to choose?- How much time do you save by going through the self-checkout?
- What is the busiest time for supermarkets?
- Price according to position on the shelf (more expensive at eye level?)
- Average distance to the bread / milk (why is the bread always at the back?)
- Time in supermarket V total purchase cost (ever noticed how there are very few windows and clocks in supermarkets?)
- Do you save money by using a shopping list?
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