Tiered Problems for a Variety of Middle School Math Topics

Grade 7
Lesson Topic

Page

Evaluating Expressions

Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factor and Simplifying Fractions

Applying fraction operations in context

Applying proportions

Solving multi-step equations

11

Areas of polygons

13
Grade 8

Lesson Goal

Page

Evaluate Expressions

15

Problem Solve with Linear Equations

17

Solve Distance, Rate, Time problems

19

Analyze Change in Various Contexts (Interpret Story Graphs)

23

Graph a linear function by using a table of values

25

Graph horizontal and vertical lines

27

Calculate the slope between two points on the coordinate plane

29

Problem Solve with Graphs of Linear Functions

31

Apply Linear Systems of Equations

33

Graph Quadratic Functions

35

Apply Exponential (Growth) Functions

37

Apply the Pythagorean Theorem

39
1

7th Grade Unit: Algebraic Expression and Integers

Lesson: Evaluating Expressions
Goal: Students evaluate variable expressions by substitution and solve word problems
by evaluating expressions.
Green level problems:
c
1. Evaluate 3ab ! for a " 2 , b " 5 , and c " 10
2
2. Write an expression for the number of kilometers a dolphin travels in h hours
swimming at 8 km/hr. Then find the number of kilometers the dolphin travels in 3
hours.
Blue Level Problems:

If a = 4.9 and b = 1 5 , determine the value of the reciprocal of b/a.

9
Express your answer as a common fraction.
3.

4. The cost of rope at hardware store depends on its length in feet and its price per foot.
Write a variable expression using 4 variables to represent the cost of 2 ropes that have
different lengths and price per foot. Explain what each variable represents. Use the expression
to evaluate the total cost to buy a 28-foot rope at $.23 per foot and a 36-foot rope at $.39 per
foot.

Black Level Problems:

5. Herons formula (sometimes called the semi-perimeter formula) says that if a triangle has
sides lengths a, b, and c, then the area of the triangle is given by
(a b c)
A = s (s - a) (s - b) (s - c) where s = + + . As a decimal to the nearest tenth, how many
2
square inches are in the area of the triangle with sides of length 4, 5, and 6 inches?
6. Shark Problem. A shark takes 20 minutes to swim with the current from its cave to the
feeding grounds. Later, it returns against the current, taking 30 minutes.
a. Define variables for the sharks speed through the water and for the speed of the current
(the speed at which the water is moving). Use feet per minute (ft/min). Then write two
expressions, one for the distance the sharks swims out and the other for the distance it
swims back.
b. Evaluate the expression in part (a) if:
i. The shark swims 400 ft/min and the current is 100 ft/min;
ii. The shark swims 80 ft/min and the current is 50 ft/min.

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions

3. The reciprocal of b is a , so lets just find a : 4.9 =

a b
b 15
9

49
10
14
9

= 49 x 9 = 63 .
10 14 20

4. Sample answer : p!"+ cf , where p is the cost per foot, !"is the length in feet of one rope and

c is the cost per foot and f is the length in feet of the other rope ; $20.48
Black Solutions

5. First, we calculate s, which is the semi-perimeter. s = 4 + 5 + 6 = 7.5 .

2

Using this value and the three side lengths in the formula, we get

A = 7.5(7.5 - 4)(7.5 -5)(7.5 -6) = 98.4375 ! 9.9 square inches.

6.

a. 20 (x + y) = no. of ft out, 30 (x y) = no. of ft back

b.
i. 10000 ft out, 9000 ft back
ii. 2600 ft out, 900 ft back
c. Shark swims 87.5 ft/min.

7th Grade Unit: Factors Fractions and Exponents

Lesson: Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factor and Simplifying Fractions
! Goals: Students learn to find the prime factorization of a number, the greatest common factor
(GCF) of two or more numbers, to find equivalent fractions and to write fractions in simplest form.
Green level problems:
1. Use prime factorization to find the GCF of 27 x 2 y 3 , 46 x 2 y
2. Write in simplest form:

x2 y
3 yz

Blue Level Problems:

3. What is the sum of the three distinct prime factors of 47,432?
4. In a certain code, each of the 26 letters of the English alphabet is represented by a number
(A=1, B=2, C=3,... Z=26). A word is then encoded by multiplying the numbers that represent its
letters. For example, CAT is encoded by 3* 1* 20 = 60, MATH is encoded by 13*1*20*8 = 2080.
Find a word that would be encoded as 7560 and explain how you found it. Could there be other
words? Explain why or why not.

Black Level Problems:

5. What is the least whole number value of x such that f(x) = x2 + x + 11 is not prime?
6. A natural number n, such that n > 1, cant be written as the sum of two more consecutive odd
numbers if and only if n is prime or n is twice an odd number. Of the ten natural numbers 20 through
29, how many cant be written as the sum of two or more consecutive odd numbers?

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions
3. The prime factorization of 47,432 is 23x72x112. The sum of the three prime factors is 2 + 7 + 11 =
20.
4. LINE, ALIEN, REGAL, BORN, LARGE, BARON are only some of the many.
We began to solve the equation by making a factor tree. We factored the number 7560 until we
received four numbers that translated into letters, which we formed into a real word. This is an
example of our factor tree:

Numbers used:
Translation of numbers:
Letters unscrambled:

7560
/\
20 378
/\ / \
4 5 18 21
DE RU
RU DE

Black Solutions
5. Value of the function can be checked with a chart.

x2 + x + 11

0
1
2
3
4
.
.
.
10

11
13
17
23
31
.
.
.
121

When x = 10, the value of the function is x2 + x + 11 = 102 + 10 + 11 = 121. This is the first value of the
function which is not prime, so the answer is 11.
6. The primes from 20 to 29 are 23 and 29. The numbers that are twice an odd number are 22 and 26. These 4
natural numbers cant be written as the sum of two or more consecutive odd numbers.

7th Grade Unit: Operations with Fractions

Lesson: Combo Day
Goal: Students are able to identify which operation is needed to solve a problem. They
can multiply, divide, add and subtract fractions.
Green level problems:
1. How many inch-long beads are needed to make a 12-inch long necklace?
2. You and a friend make a bet. He bets that he is more than
is not. If you are 5 ft. 5

5
inches taller than you. You bet that he
16

5
7
inches tall and he is 5 ft. 5
inches tall, who won the bet?
8
16

Blue Level Problems:

3. Ann gave 1 of her beads to Joey, 3 of them to May and 1 of the rest to Rose. If Ann had 36 beads

16

left, how many beads did she have at first?

4.

2 in.
3

The figure is composed of a triangle and a rectangle. The area of

the figure is 24 square inches. Find the value of x .

5 2 in.
3

x in.
Black Level Problems:
5. The Density Property. The diagram shows a number line. Between 3 and 4 there are many other
numbers such as 3.5, 3.79, 3.22861154. . . , etc. If a set of numbers has the property that between any
two of them there is another number of that kind, then the set of numbers is said to be dense. The work
you have been doing with fractions allows you to tell whether or not certain sets of numbers are dense.
There are real numbers between 3 and 4.

: : :4

Answer the following questions.

a. Find a real number between 4.8 and 4.9.

b. Find five real numbers between 7.83 and 7.84.

6.

2 x # 11
3
!
x # 7 x ! 12 ( x # 4)
2

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions:
3.

1
4

3
16

1
5

36
After

giving

part

of

her

beads

= 1 - 1 - 3 = 16 - 4 - 3 = 9
4 16 16 16 16 16

to

Joey

and

After giving part of her beads to Rose, fraction of Anns beads left

May,

fraction

of

Anns

beads

left

9
$ 1% 9 4 9
'1 # ( & " & "
) 5 * 16 5 16 20

9
20
20
" 36 &
" 80
9

Number of beads Ann had at first=

36 +

She had 80 beads at first.

4. x = 4
Black Solutions:
5. a)

6.

Answers may vary. 4.85 b. Answers may vary. 7.831, 7.833, 7.835

5
x#3

7th Grade Unit: Ratios, Proportions, Percents and Probability

Lesson: Proportions
Goals: Students extend their work with ratios to develop an understanding of
proportionality and they use proportions to solve problems.
Students use proportions to make estimates relating to a population on the basis of a
sample.
Green level problems:

1. The distance traveled by a bus at a constant speed is directly proportional to the

length of time it travels. If a bus travels 320 km in 4 h, how far will it travel in 9h?
2. Of 75 pairs of jeans, 7 have flaws. Estimate how many of 24,000 pairs of jeans are
flawed.
Blue Level Problems:
A 12-foot board is cut into three pieces whose
lengths are in the ratio 3:1:2. How many inches are in
the length of the shortest piece?

3.

4. Solve the following proportion for x: 3x - 2 = x + 4 _____

4

Black Level Problems:

5. A wheel rotates once a second. Object two (O) is twice the distance from the center
of the wheel as object one (O1). How fast is O moving in comparison to O1?

6. Three miners can load 350 pounds of coal in 15 minutes. How many minutes would it take two
miners to load 700 pounds of coal?

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions:
3. The three pieces are in ratio 3:1:2. Since 3 + 1 + 2 = 6, then a 6-foot board would be
cut into pieces that were 3, 1, and 2 feet, respectively. Since the board you are given is
12 feet, or twice as long, the piece should each be twice as long, and the smallest piece
will be 2 feet.
Since the question asks for the number of inches in the smallest piece, the 2 feet must
be converted to inches: 2 feet x 12 inches/foot = 24 inches.
4. 10

Black Solutions:
5. Let x be the distance from the center
of the wheel O1. In one second O1 goes a
distance 2!x. The distance O goes in the
same second is 2"(2x) or twice the
distance O1 goes. Hence, O goes twice the
speed of O1.

2x

O1
O

6. If three miners can load 350 pounds in 15 minutes, then three miners can load
2 350 = 700 pounds in 2 15 = 30 minutes. Then, 1 miner can load 700 pounds in
3 30 = 90 minutes, and 2 1 = 2 miners can load 700 pounds in 90 2 = 45
minutes. Remember, double the number of miners can load double the number of
pounds in the same time, or double the number of miners can load the same
number of pounds in half the time.

10

7th Grade Unit: Solving Multi-Step Equations

Lesson: Solving Multi-Step Equations
Goals: Students combine like terms and use the distributive property to simplify and
then solve multi-step equations.
Students apply these skills to consecutive integer word problems

Green level problems:

1. Solve. Check your solution.

16 " 2( x # 1) # x

2. The sum of three consecutive integers is 96. Find the integers.

Blue Level Problems:

3. The sum on an odd integer and twice its consecutive is equal to equal 3757. Find the number.
4. Membership Boom. There was a surge in math club membership after the fun
Halloween party. When the principal asked Mrs. Germain how many students were
currently in the club, she replied, Three times our number plus a third of our
number plus a fourth of our number plus you and me is two hundred sixty.
The principal smiled and nodded, then added, If you can pick up another eight
students before your Christmas party you will have exactly 10% of the student
body involved in the club.
a. How many students are enrolled in the math club?
b. How many students are in the school?

Black Level Problems:

5. Solve for a in terms of b if two more than twice a is three less than the square of the
number which is one less than b.
6. The units of a two-digit number is 40% of the tens digit. If the digits are reversed,
the resulting number is 27 less than the original number. Find the original number.

11

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions:
3. The difference between two odd integers is equal to 2. let x be an odd integer and x + 2 be

its consecutive. The sum of x and twice its consecutive is equal to 3757 gives an equation of the
form
x + 2(x + 2) = 3757
Solve for x

x = 1251

Check that the sum of 1251 and 2(1251 + 2) is equal to 3757.

4. Let n = the number of students in the math club.

3n + 1 n + 1 n + 2 = 260
3
4
3 7 n + 2 = 260
12
3 7 n = 258
12
n = 72

Then, if the 72 math club students gain 8 more members before the Christmas pageant
they would have a total of 80 members in the Math Club, and 10% of the schools students,
also. 72 + 8 = 80 members.

Black Solutions:
5.

, b # 1-

# 3 . Solving for
b 2 - 2b - 4
a in terms of b, we get 2a + 2 = (b 2 - 2b + 1) - 3, then 2a = b 2 - 2b 4, and finally a =
Translating the English into algebra, we get the following equation: 2a + 2 =

6. 52

12

7th Grade Unit: Area and Volume:

Lesson: Area of Polygons
Goal: Students understand and apply area formulas for polygons. Students decompose
irregular two dimensional shapes into smaller component shapes.
Green level problems:
1. An architect has the option of the two rooms shown for a new hotel. Which room would
provide the most space for the guests?
5 ft
7 ft

4 ft

10.5 ft

10 ft

6 ft

4 ft

12 ft

2. Ken and Kathy went horseback riding at noon. Ken rode north at 3 km per hour and Kathy

rode west at 3.5 km per hour. How far apart were they at 2 P.M.? Round to the nearest
kilometer.

Blue Level Problems:

3. Change in Area. The length of a rectangle is increased by 20 percent, and its width is
decreased by 10 percent. By what percent does the area of the rectangle change? What if,
instead, we decreased the length by 20 percent and increased the width by 10 percent?

4. A square blanket measuring x feet by x feet was folded in half, folded in half again and

finally folded in half one last time. After these three successive folds, without ever unfolding,
the blanket covers an area of 8 square feet. What is the value of x?

Black Level Problems:

5. The ratio of the length of the base to the length of the height of the triangle is 2 : 3. The
area of the triangle is 81 square centimeters. What is the number of centimeters in the height
of the triangle? Express your answer in simplest radical form.

6. Find the area of a regular octagon with side 20 and apothem 10

a = 10

13

Solutions are provided here for the Blue and Black problems:
Blue Solutions:
3.

Change in Area.

Eight percent increase in the first case and 12 percent decrease in the second case. Let L
represent the length and W represent the width, so LW represents the area. If L is increased
by 20 percent, it becomes 1.2L. If W is decreased by 10 percent, it becomes 0.9W. The area of
the new rectangle is (1.2L)(0.9W) = 1.08 LW, which is an 8 percent increase over the original
LW. In the second case, we have a new area of (0.8L)(1.1W) = 0.88 LW, which accounts for a 12
percent decrease from LW.

4.

If 8 square feet is half of half of half of the area of the blanket, then the area of the
blanket is 8 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64 square feet. The side length x , must be square root of 64, which is
8 feet.

Black Solutions:
5. Given the ratio 2 : 3, we can write the base as two times as unknown value x and the height as
three times the same unknown value x . The area formula for a triangle is A = 1 bh. We know the
2

This gives us: 81 = 1 (2 x )(3 x ), which

2
simplifies to 81=3 x 2. Dividing both sides by 3, we get 27 = x 2. Now we can take the square root
of both sides and we get: x = 27 = 9 x 3 = 3 3 . The height is three times this amount, or 3 x
3 3 = 9 3 centimeters.
area and can write the height and base in terms of

x.

6. In this case the perimeter of the octagon is 160. The area of the octagon is A = 21 ap =

1 &
2

160 & 10 = 800.

14

Grade 8 Goal: Evaluate Expressions

Green
Substitute and evaluate the algebraic expressions if m = -2, n = 3, s = 5, p =

4
1
, and y =
5
3

#9 y 2 ! 15 p # 15

Blue

x #1
x
. Let y2 by the simplified expression obtained by replacing x in y1 by . Let
x !1
3
x
y3 be the simplified expression obtained by replacing x in y2 by , and so forth. Evaluate
3
y4 when x " 0

Let y1 "

Black

w y
. . 1 ; arrange in order of increasing
x z
x z xz x ! z
absolute value the five quantities:
, ,
,
,1
w y wy w ! y
Given the positive integers w, x, y, z with

15

Blue Solution

Black Solution

16

Grade 8 Goal: Problem Solve with Linear Equations

Green
Jennifer is 5 years younger than Amanda. If the sum of their ages is 51, how old is each of
them?

Blue
Tiffany's Triumphs: Tiffany plays first board for her middle school chess team.
Since she joined the team last year, she has won 27 of 51 tournament games.
That's a winning percentage of about 53%. Winning a lot of matches in a row is
pretty unlikely. Let's say that Tiffany gets hot and wins two out of every three
games she plays. How many more games will Tiffany have to play before she
has a winning percentage of 60%?

Black
A merchant on his way to the market with n bags of flour passes through three toll gates. At
1
the first gate, the toll is
of his holdings, but 4 bags are returned. At the second gate, the
8
1
1
toll is of his (new) holdings, but 3 bags are returned. At the third gate, the toll is
of his
4
3
n
(new) holdings, but 1 bag is returned. The merchant arrives at the market with exactly
2
bags. If all transactions involve whole bags, find the value of n.

17

Blue Solution

Black Solution

18

Grade 8 Goal: Solve Distance, Rate, Time problems

Green
Two cars travel the same distance. The first car travels at a rate of 50 miles per hour and
reaches its destination in t hours. The second car travels at a rate of 60 miles per hour and
reaches its destination 2 hours earlier than the first car. How long does it take the first to
reach its destination?

Blue

Two trains started from the same point. At 11 p.m., the first train
traveled East at the rate of 50 mph. At 9:00 a.m. the next morning, the
second train traveled West at the rate of 140 mph. At what time were
they 1260 miles apart?

Black
At what time after 7:00 will the minute hand overtake the hour hand?

19

Blue Solution

Black Solution

20

Grade 8 Goal: Analyze Change in Various Contexts (Interpret Story Graphs)

Green
1. The lines on the following graph
represent three trips taken by
three different people on the
same day. Use the graph to fill in
the blank spaces in the
description of trip A.
Trip A With his pencils and sketch
pad in the bicycle basket, Mr. Lewis
left Viewpoint at 8 a.m. and rode his
bicycle for ___ hour(s) into the
country at a speed of ____ miles per
hour. He stayed in the country for
___ hour(s) sketching and drawing.
He rode back to Viewpoint on his
bicycle in ____ hour(s) at a speed of
____ miles per hour.
2. Steve can row a boat 6 miles per hour going downstream (in the same direction
as the force of the current) and 1 miles per hour going upstream (in the
opposite direction of the current). Steve has only 5 hours to complete a round trip
downstream.
Use the following graph to
answer the questions that
follow:

A. How many hours after he begins his trip must he start his return upstream?
B. How far downstream can he go? Explain.
C. If he stops at a dock 3 miles downstream, how long may he fish before he starts
back? Explain your answer.
21

22

Grade 8 Goal: Analyze Change in Various Contexts (Interpret Story Graphs)

Blue
1. A motor boat traveling at the rate of 30 miles per hour crossed the width of a lake
in 25 minutes less than when traveling at the rate of 20 miles per hour. What is the
width of the lake? Create a graph that represents this story and show how the
answer to this question can be seen on this graph.
2. A soldier fired a bullet which has a speed of 1500 feet per second. One and a
quarter seconds later he heard it strike the target. Sound travels at approximately
1000 feet per second. How far away was the target from the soldier? Create a
graph that represents this story and show how the answer to this question can be
seen on this graph.
Black
1. Two trains start out on the same track toward each other. Train A travels at 30
miles per hour. Train B travels at 40 miles per hour. At the start, they are 700 miles
apart.
When train A starts, a fly that was resting on the headlight starts to fly down the
track ahead of the train at a speed of 100 miles per hour. When it meets train B, it
turns and flies back along the track toward train A.
The fly continues to fly back and forth along the track at 100 miles per hour,
reversing its direction each time it meets one of the trains, until it is crushed
between the colliding trains.
A. On the same graph, show the motion of the two trains.
B. Also show the motion of the fly
C. How many miles did the fly travel before it was crushed? Explain how you
found your answer.
2. The following figure describes the first six seconds
of two cars that are racing down a straight race
track. Each car continues the rest of the race at
the same speed as it is moving after the first four
seconds. One car moves ahead first, and then
the second car catches up.
How many seconds will pass before the second
car catches up to the first?
23

Blue Solutions

Black Solutions

24

Grade 8 Goal: Graph a linear function by using a table of values

Green
Rewrite the following equation in function form. Then, use
a table of values to graph the function.

9 x # 3 y " 15
Blue
Use a table of values to graph the functions mentioned
in the following problem. Then, answer the question.
What is the number of square units in the area of the region
bounded by the graphs of y " 2 x and y " #2 x ! 4 ?
Black
Consider the step function [x] = y.
Define it by y = the value of the greatest integer less than or equal to x.
Use a table of values to graph the function
y = [x-1]

25

Blue Solution

Black Solution

26

Grade 8 Goal: Graph horizontal and vertical lines

Green
Use a table of values to graph the functions.

y " #5 , x " 6
Blue

Blue and Black

DESCARTES TRIANGLE
Two vertices of a triangle are located at (0,6) and (0,12). If the area of the triangle is 12
square units
BLUE: What are all the possible positions for the third vertex?
BLACK: What if the triangle is also isosceles?

27

Solutions
Blue

BLUE
Since the formula for area of a triangle is bh/2, 6h/2=12, h must be 4. therefore, on the
coordinate plane, since one segment of the triangle is on the y axis, the x coordinate must
merely move 4 spaces to the left or right (making it -4 or 4) therefore, any point on the line
x=4 or on the line x=-4 will satisfy the equation.
BLACK
In order to make the triangle isosceles, one of two things must happen: the two sides other
than the one with the side length 6 can be equal OR one other side can equal 6 as well. The
key in this is that THE AREA MUST BE 12. So, the two points that will satisfy the first part
are (4,9) , (-4,9). This is because the x coordinate must be plus or minus 4, and the y
coordinate will be the average of those on the endpoints of the given side. In the other
scenario, another side must equal 6. the side could be above the line or below the line, and
on either side of the y axis. that makes four points. since the side length must be 6, and the
distance from the y axis is 4, a right triangle can be made. using Pythagorean, 6^2-4^2=20,
the root of which is 2(root5). Therefore, the y coordinates will be the bottom coordinate
MINUS 2root5 OR the top coordinate PLUS 2root5. So, the y coordinates will be the lower
(6) minus 2root5 and the higher (12) plus 2root5. since the x coordinates will be plus or
minus 4, the last 4 coordinates will be: (4,6-(2root5)) , (4,12+(2root5)) , (-4,12+(2root5)) ,
(-4,6-(2root5)). Therefore, the 6 points are: (4,9) , (-4,9) , (4,6-(2root5)), (4,12+(2root5)) ,
(-4,12+(2root5)) , (-4,6-(2root5))

28

Grade 8 Goal: Calculate the slope between two points on the coordinate plane
Green
1. What is the slope of each line pictured below?
a.
b.

c.

2. Calculate the slope of the lines passing through the following pairs of points:
(-10,-7) and (1,-2)

Blue
If (-2,0) and (1,s) are two points on a line with a negative slope, what can you say about s?
Black
If a < 5, what must be true about b so that the line passing through the points ( a , b ) and
(1, -3) has a negative slope?

29

Blue Solution

Black Solution

30

Grade 8 Goal: Problem Solve with Graphs of Linear Functions

Green
Your class is selling shirts and sweaters displaying your
school logo to raise money for a field trip. Your class
needs to raise $1800 to cover the cost of the trip. For
each shirt sold, $3 is raised for the trip. For each
sweater sold, $5 is raised for the trip.
A. Write an equation that represents the number of
shirts (x) and sweaters (y) sold and the amount of
money your class needs to raise for the field trip.
B. Find the x-intercept. What does it represent?
C. Find the y-intercept. What does it represent?
D. Graph the equation.
Blue
Steve is making crafts to sell at a fair. It takes him

2
of an hour to make a wooden fork and
3

1
hour to make a wooden spoon. He has 6 hours to work.
2
A. Write an equation to show the relationship between how many forks and spoons Steve
can make in three hours. Let x = the number of forks and y = the number of spoons.
B. Graph your equation from Part A.
C. What is the x -intercept? What does it represent in this situation?
D. What is the y -intercept? What does it represent in this situation?
E. If Steve works the entire 6 hours while making 8 spoons, how many forks did he
make?
Black
You have $12 to spend on fruit for a meeting. Grapes cost $1 per pound and peaches
cost $1.50 per pound. Let x represent the number of pounds of grapes you can buy. Let
y represent the number of pounds of peaches you can buy. Write and graph an
inequality to model the amounts of grapes and peaches you can buy.
31

Blue Solution

Black Solution

32

Grade 8 Goal: Apply Linear Systems of Equations

Green
You sold two different types of wrapping paper for your fundraiser. One type sold for $6 and
the other for $8. You collected $92 for the 14 rolls you sold. How many rolls of each type did
you sell?

Blue
Bubba Gump has been pretty hungry lately. Shrimp and Mussels are sold by the pound.
Last week, Bubba bought $4 worth of shrimp and $2 worth of mussels for a total weight of 8
pounds. This week, he bought enough for himself and his girlfriend to share. He bought $2
worth of shrimp and $9 worth of mussels for a total weight of 20 pounds. Use a 4 step
problem solving process to help Bubba figure out how much he paid per pound for Shrimp
and Mussels.

Black
For the problem below, complete the following steps to find the desired solution.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Define your unknowns

Express the objective function and the constraints
Graph the constraints
Find the corner points to the region of possible solutions
Evaluate the objective function at all the feasible corner points

A gold processor has two sources of gold ore, source A and source B. In order to keep his
plant running, at least three tons of ore must be processed each day. Ore from source A
costs $20 per ton to process, and ore from source B costs $10 per ton to process. Costs must
be kept to less than $80 per day. Moreover, Federal Regulations require that the amount of
ore from source B cannot exceed twice the amount of ore from source A. If ore from source
A yields 2 oz. of gold per ton, and ore from source B yields 3 oz. of gold per ton, how many
tons of ore from both sources must be processed each day to maximize the amount of gold
extracted subject to the above constraints?

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Grade 8 Goal: Graph Quadratic Functions

Green
Graph the following equation. Make sure you show your work and label the coordinates of
the vertex.

y " x2 # 4x # 5
Blue
Your dance class has decided to perform The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is one of the most
popular Christmas holiday ballets today.
Your class chooses two primary dancers for the lead roles, one male and one female. One of
the male dancers leaps can be modeled by the equation h " 2t # t where h is the height in
feet and t is the time in seconds. One of the female dancers leaps can be modeled by the
2

equation

h " 3t # t 2 .

A. Sketch the graphs of the equations for the male and female dancers.
B. What is the maximum height reached by the male dancer when he leaps?
C. How many seconds does it take the male dancer to reach his maximum jump height?
D. What is the maximum height reached by the female dancer when she leaps?
E. How many seconds does it take the female dancer to reach her maximum height?

Black
The arch of a stone bridge has the shape of a parabola that is 20 feet wide at the water line
and rises to its highest point 8 feet above the water. Suppose the vertex of the parabola is
at the origin of a coordinate system.
A. Write an equation for the parabola. Illustrate this situation on a coordinate plane.
B. If the water level rises to 18 feet below the highest point of the bridge, how wide is
the parabola at the water line?

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Black Solution

36

Grade 8 Goal: Apply Exponential (Growth) Functions

Green
You deposit $500 into an account that pays 8% interest compounded yearly. Write a
function to represent your accounts balance B after x years. What will the account balance
be after 6 years?
Blue
Copying Conundrum: We have a copy machine in the office that will let you increase or
decrease the size of a picture by a certain percentage. For example, if I have a picture that is
4 inches by 6 inches and I copy it at 50%, the dimensions on the copy will be 2 inches by 3
inches.
Start with an 8-inch by 10-inch picture. Copy it at 80%, then copy the copy at 80%, and
continue this process until you have 5 copies of the original, each of which is smaller than
the previous one. Write a formula that will allow you to easily find the picture's largest
dimension after doing this n times.

Black
There are 100 rats in a given population. At first, and under ideal circumstances, the rat
population increases 20% per month. After 2 months, some bait is laid that contains a
substance that slows their population growth. For one month the population remains
constant. After that, the population starts to decrease by 50% per month.
There are three parts to this story. Find the function that matches each part of the story (if
your function contains decimal values, round those values to the nearest whole number).
Also, create a single graph that illustrates all three parts of this story.

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Blue Solution

Black Solution

38

Grade 8 Goal: Apply the Pythagorean Theorem

Green
A ladder is 15m long. Its foot is on a flat driveway 9m from the base of a vertical wall. How
far up the wall will the top of the ladder reach?
Blue
The hypotenuse of a right angled triangle is twice the length of one leg of the triangle. The
length of the other leg is 12 cm. How many square centimeters are in the area of the right
triangle? Express your answer in simplest radical form.

Black
A swimmer at A, on one side of a straight-banked canal 100 meters wide, swims to a point B
on the other bank, directly opposite to A. His steady rate of swimming is 5 meters per
second, and the canal flow is a steady 3 meters per second.
A. Find the shortest time it could take him to swim from A to B.
B. Find the distance the swimmer would travel in this amount of time.

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Blue Solution

Black Solution

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