Melting Pot Math

MEXICO: MEXICAN JUMPING BEANS

The seed of a Mexican tree is famous for its quick jumping movements. The movements of a jumping bean are actually caused by a larva that lives inside the seed. Certain kinds of butterflies deposit their eggs in the tree's flowers. After the eggs hatch, the larva burrows into the young seeds of the tree. The larva devours the inside of the seed, but leaves the seed wall. Apparently, the bean jumps when the larva grasps the wall and jerks it vigorously. This enables the larva to move out of the sun and heat to more comfortable conditions. Warmth, light, and moderate noise enhance the seed's activity. Some beans remain active for several months. It gradually spins a coat and becomes a pupa. After metamorphosis, the moth cuts a circular hole through the seed wall. The moth wiggles its way through the hole and leaves the bean.

Below is a price list form from Oz's Enterprises where jumping beans can be ordered in quantities

QUANTITY UNIT PRICE TOTAL PRICE

1-25 BOXES WHOLESALE $.75 PER CARD $48 US PER BOX + SHIPPING 64 CARDS PER BOX. 15 CARD DISPLAY RACK WITH EACH BOX

26 BOxES AND UP
DISTRIBUTORS $.50 PER CARD $32 US PER BOX + SHIPPING SAME

BULK BEANS $.05 PER BEAN $70 US PER LITER + SHIPPING

CLEAR PLASTIC BOXES 1 IN. x 1 IN. x 5/8 IN. $.50 PER BOX $60 US PER CASE + SHIPPING PLASTIC BOXES SHIPPED IN DISPLAY CASE WITH COLOR CARD. 120 UNITS OF 4 BEANS EACH

USE THIS CHART TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

1. How many beans would you get if you ordered a shipment with cards in 3 boxes?

2. If you bought 7 boxes and sold each card for $2, how much profit would you make?

3. How much would 30 boxes cost at $32 a box? If you were paying $48 a box, how many boxes would you get?

4. Compare the price of a single box when there are 6 for $.75 on a card or 4 for $.50 in a plastic box.

5. If bulk beans cost $.05 when you pay $70 a liter, how many beans would you expect to be in a liter? 3 liters?

TRY THIS GAME. USE THIS WEBSITE FOR THE GAME BOARD.

www.jumpingbeansrus.com/game.asp

Rules of the Game
It is best to have 2 to 4 players. Each player places one jumping bean in the yellow center. No hands are allowed once the beans are on the board. The first bean to cross to one of the numbered ellipses wins. If the winner crosses onto the number 2, 3, or 4 then the other players pay the winner the original wager multiplied by the number that the winning bean landed on. Example--If the original wager was 6 pesos, and the bean landed on 3, the winner would collect 18 pesos. If there was only one other player-- 36 pesos.

1. What is the probability that the winning bean will land on a number greater than 1? What is the probability that it will land on an even number?

2. If the original wager is 15 pesos, what is the most that a winner could collect if he/she won 5 games in a row? what is the least?

3. If 2 games are played by 4 players, list all of the possible outcomes. (numbers landed on)

4. Jorge, Pedro, and Stefan are playing the game. They play 10 rounds. The wager on each round is 2 pesos from each player. These are the results:

GAME WINNER NUMBER

1 PEDRO 3

2 STEFAN 1

3 STEFAN 4

4 JORGE 4

5 PEDRO 2

6 JORGE 3

7 PEDRO 1

8 STEFAN 2

9 PEDRO 2

10 JORGE 3

Make a chart showing the results of each round/ how much each player won or lost in the round.
Who came out in the end with a gain? how much was it?
At the end of the third game, how much had Stefan made?
Which one was in the hole at the end of the 4th round?
How much did Stefan owe at the end?

Jumping Beans Solutions

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