Real World Math

Pop Quiz everyone!

choose the best answer

1. How many loads of laundry will I have left to do when the dryer breaks?
a) None - I'm always caught up on laundry
b) Half - because with laundry, you're never really done
c) All - who needs clean clothes? They'll just get dirty again anyway
ANSWER B

2. How much does the dryer in the communal laundry room cost?
a) 50 cents
b) 75 cents
c) 1 dollar - in quarters only
ANSWER C

3. How many quarters will there be in the house at 10:00pm when I have to finsh the laundry?
a) Tons - everyone loves change
b) Almost enough - I just need 50 cents!
c) None - Quarters? I have plastic. . .
ANSWER B

4. Where do I look for just two more quarters?
a) In the couch
b) In my husband's pockets
c) The abyss that is the bottom of my purse
d) The change jar
e) In the car
f) My son's piggy bank
g) All of the above
ANSWER G

5. Do I find them?
a) Yes
b) No
ANSWER B

6. How many candy bars from 7-11 do I have to buy to get two quarters back in change if each cost 65 cents? (After this, I need the chocolate)
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
ANSWER B

7. On average, how many trips up and down the stairs will I have to take for each load of laundry?
a) 1 - one load, one trip
b) 2 - once down and once back up
c) 3 - once down, once back up, once more to carry whichever child decides to stop and cry in the middle of the steps
ANSWER C

8. How long before we decide that the problem is worse than we can fix on our own and just call someone to fix it?
a) 2 days
b) 1 week
c) 2 months and counting. . . .
ANSWER C

On the plus side, laundry is now a really good time to teach numbers. "Count the quarters boys. One. . . Two. . . Three. . . "