Problem Description Sheet:    Making Room for All   

Introduction: A town is planning a fowl supper for the community. You will help plan the types of tables to use. Use the materials to help you. The large tables seat 12 people. The small tables seat 5 people.

Problem:

  1. Cover the eating area of the room (paper labeled eating area) with as many large tables as possible. No tables should overlap. How many large tables fit in this room?
  2. Remove the tables from the room. Now place as many small tables in the room as possible (no tables should overlap). State the number of small tables that can fit in the room and the total number of people that can sit around all these tables.
  3. Remove all the tables from the room. The mayor and her family must sit at a small table. Put a small table in the room. Fill the remaining area of the room using any number of large or small tables. You want to choose the tables so that you can seat the most people possible. How many small tables are in the room? How many large tables are in the room? What is the total number of people that can sit at the tables in your room?
  4. The town can rent tables whose area is 3m x 2m (not included with your materials). How many of these tables could fit in this room? Explain how you know this.
  5. How many of these 3m x 2m tables could fit in a room whose eating area is 14m x 11m? Explain how you know this.

Materials: 1 rectangle drawn to scale which is to be a 9m x 6m eating area (room); 12 paper squares drawn to scale, each being a 3m x 3m area showing the space taken up by a large table; 15 smaller paper squares drawn to scale, each being a 2m x 2m area showing the space taken up by a small table; pencil, paper, ruler, calculator

Extra Questions: Have students create a different-sized room and repeat the questions.

Topic(s):

Numbers and operations, area, critical and creative thinking, communication

  Activity Type:

Group      Individual 

  Assessment:

Scale:    Levels 1-5   
Self     Peer     Teacher 
Include in your portfolio?
Yes     No     Optional 
Toward Your Marks?
Yes     No     Optional 

  Hints: