Real-Life Math
As a child psychologist, you are helping a child who has a phobia
about math. When it comes to using numbers, Melissa freezes and panics.
During
your assessment, you discover that Melissa has no ability to create mental
images when trying to understand math concepts. You devise a series of questions
to help her create mental images while solving problems.
You have created
a math test for Melissa that is rich in visual imagery. This is your question:
You
are making a cake with cherry frosting.
- If you have a 2-cup measuring cup, would it hold the shortening, the butter,
the milk and the cherry juice from both recipes?
- Can you tell me how much would spill over the 2-cup mark? If the answer
is negative, find out how much would be left below the 2-cup mark.
You ask Melissa to visualize the bowls and measuring cups, to visualize
the ingredients and then to imagine putting the ingredients together. This
will help her figure out how to solve the math problem.
Of course,
to assess Melissa's answers, you will have to first solve the question yourself.
What answer do you come up with for the two-part question?
Recipe
for cake:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2
eggs
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons
baking powder
Recipe for cherry icing:
1/3
cup butter
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup cherries
1
egg
1/4 cup cherry juice