Matrices used in Careers Matrices could have more “appeal” when given in a real world context – particularly how they might be used in their future occupations, such as: Medicine Pharmacy Construction Travel Production Restaurant/Entertainment Industry

Medicine Industry Example Five diabetic patients in a hospital each require injections of three kinds of insulin each day. The table below gives the amounts of the three kinds of insulin each patient requires each day. If Patient 1 plans to stay for 10 days, Patient 2 stays 5 days, Patient 3 stays 20 days, Patient 4 stays 10 days, and Patient 5 stays 15 days, how much of each type of insulin must the medical staff have on hand? Patient 1Patient 2Patient 3Patient 4Patient 5 Semi-lente10 units40 units30 units20 units10 units Lente20 units 10 units Ultra-insulin30 units5 units 20 units10 units

Process for Solving Insulin Problem Have the kids set up two matrices, one 3x5 and one 5x1 (the 3x5 would represent the five patients vs the 3 different types of insulin each needs per day; the 5x1 would represent how many days each of the 5 patients intends to stay). Once the matrices are set up, they need to multiply Matrix A (the 3x5) and Matrix B (the 5x1). That will reveal the result matrix (3x1) that lists how many units of each of the 3 types of insulin needs to be on hand to satisfy the demands of the 5 patients. The solution should be 1250 units of semi-lente, 750 units of lente, and 775 units of ultra-insulin.

The medicine problem is a great example to show a student who: already works as a candy striper, retirement home aide, at a vet’s office, or a student who plans on pursuing a medical-related profession (doesn’t even have to be a doctor or nurse – even a nurse’s assistant, vet tech, pharmaceutical sales).

Construction Industry Example A building contractor accepts summer orders for 135 houses, 3 condos, and 1 high-rise building. The construction materials (in appropriate units) that go into each of these buildings are listed below. How much of each raw material will be needed for all of the summer contracts? HOUSESCONDOSHIGH RISES LUMBER GLASS STEEL CONCRE TE LABOR

Process for Solving Construction Example Have the kids set up two matrices: one 5x3 and one 3x1 (the 5x3 would represent each of the five building materials versus how much one each is needed to construct each of the three types of buildings; the 3x1 would signify how many of each of the three types of buildings were ordered that summer). Once the matrices are set up, they need to multiply Matrix A (the 5x3) and Matrix B (the 3x1). That will reveal the result matrix (5x1) that lists how many units of each type of building material is needed to construct the given amount of each of the types of buildings ordered that summer.. The solution should be 3050 units of lumber, 2125 units of glass, 2150 units of steel, 1300 units of concrete, and hours of labor.

The construction problem is a great example to show a student who: already works as a carpentry apprentice, does odd construction jobs on the weekends or at night, installs cabinetry, interested in architecture or engineering.