Today was our jewelry store tour. The owner was showing us around and telling the girls about gem mining and other cool things. He mentioned all the things you need to know in the jewelry business: geology, some other things I already forgot, and math. He said you need math to calculate weights of gems and gold and silver, and the prices. The prices are given in fractions, just like carats of diamonds are in fractions (18 carat gold is really 18/24ths gold, I didn't know that). So I said that sounded like one really good use for all those fractions and decimals we have to learn. He took my cue and ran with it. He slowly did some examples for them, simplifying fractions to the lowest common denominator and converting it to a decimal and percentage (that 18/24th is 3/4, is .75 is 75 percent). And using all the terminology straight from her math program.
It was a perfect example of what Violet has been doing in pre-algebra and wondering why on earth she'd have to switch from one form to another! I could have kissed him! But I didn't. I'm sure a jewelry store is filled with all sorts of security which probably wouldn't approve of some weird mom kissing the jeweler with joy. LOL
So, when any of your students ask why they need to know fractions and decimals, it is so they can trade in diamonds and gold in the future!
1 comment:
That is great! LOL
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