Practical Application Problems: Pizza Fundraiser Project

Knowing how to write fractions for whole numbers and how to add and subtract fractions can help you run a successful fundraising activity for a personal or school project. You have learned how to draw and write fractions that equal whole numbers. If a fraction equals 1 it has the same number on top of the fraction as the number on the bottom 9 . 9 If a fraction equals 2, then it has a number on top that is 2 times the denominator 4 . 2 If a fraction equals 5, then the top number is 5 times the denominator 25 . 5 When you add or subtract fractions that have the same denominators, you copy the denominator and then work on top. 4 6 10 and 12 4 8 5 5 5 8 8 8 - + = =

You and your friends want to make money so that you can buy equipment for your soccer team. You decide to ask the high school soccer coach if you can sell pizzas at the high school soccer games this year. The coach considers your request and feels like it’s a good idea. You will need to make plans so that you order the right kinds and numbers of pizza to be sold. You arrange with a local pizza factory to purchase pizzas for $5. You have learned in your math class at school that wholes can be divided up into parts. You think about this and decide to cut pizzas up into pieces of 4 for the first game and charge a dollar for each slice. Draw what the pizza will look like. Figure out how much you would earn from each pizza. You would actually lose $1 on each pizza because you bought it for $5 and then sold it for $4.

You now realize that you must cut whole pizzas into more pieces to make money. For the next game you cut each pizza up into 6 pieces and sell each slice for $1. Draw what the pizza would look like and figure out how much you would earn from each pizza. $6 - $5 = $1 You would earn $1 because the pizza cost you $5 and you sold it for $6.

You now are getting much smarter You now are getting much smarter. You think about ways to increase your profits. For the third game, you cut the pizza up into 8 pieces and sell each slice for $1. Draw what the pizza would now look like, and figure out how much you would earn. You would earn $3 because the pizza cost you $5 and you sold it for $8. Draw 8 pizzas that are cut into 8 slices each. Figure out how much you would earn if you sold all 8 pizzas. Right on! You would earn $24 because you would earn $3 for each pizza and you sold 8 pizzas ($3 x 8 = $24) $8 - $5 = $3

What fraction equals 8 pizzas and has 8 pieces in each pizza? Yes 64 ! 8 There are 64 pieces total and there are 8 pieces in each whole pizza. For the next game, you finally have figured out that the more pieces you cut the pizza into, the more money you will make. This time you cut the pizza into 20 pieces. Figure out how much you would earn for each pizza at the next game.

- You shouldn’t have gotten so greedy! No one is stupid or hungry enough to pay a dollar for such a tiny slice of pizza! If you sold only 3 of the 20 slices in one box, make a math problem that shows how many pieces you didn’t sell. 20 3 17 20 20 20 You didn’t consider how the pizza would sell did you? - =

Yes, there will be 2 slices of each topping. For the next game you know that you must come up with some new marketing ideas to get your customers back. You decide that you will sell the pizzas in slices of 6 with 3 different toppings – Cheese only, Pepperoni and Cheese, and Sausage and Cheese. Draw a picture of what the pizza will look like and figure out how many pieces there will be of each topping. Pepperoni and Cheese Cheese only Sausage and Cheese Yes, there will be 2 slices of each topping.

At the game you sell 4 pieces of cheese only, and 3 pieces of pepperoni and cheese before the game. Draw a fraction problem that shows how many pieces you sold. Hope you got the right answer dude! 4 3 7 That’s more than one whole pizza. 6 6 6 In the first half of the game you sold 12 slices of cheese pizza, 18 pieces of pepperoni and cheese, and 6 pieces of sausage and cheese. Make a fraction problem that shows how many total pieces you sold. You’re amazing if you got this problem right! 12 18 6 36 6 6 6 6 How many total pizzas did you sell? That’s right, 6 Pizzas. The top number of the fraction is 6 times the denominator. 36 6. 6 + = + + = =

Now it is your turn. Come up with a plan of how you are going to make money by selling pizzas at the soccer game. Decide how many slices of pizza you think you can sell. Decide how much money you will charge for each piece and figure out a total amount that you will earn during a game. Draw pictures and write fraction problems that shows your plan. Be prepared to share it with the rest of the class.