Gas and Go
in the
USA!

Here's an example of how LONG DIVISION can be used in the real world! Just about everybody takes an occasional long road trip in a car. One day, you will be old enough to have to pay for the gas! Before you leave on your trip, you'll want to get directions and find out how many miles you will have to drive. Your job is to plan a trip to a different city in the USA (at least 500 miles away)! You will have to find out how much you will spend on gas, and how many times you will have to fill up your gas tank (fuel capacity). Before you start looking for cars and facts, you must save a Gas And Go report. to fill up your tank!

OPEN WORD.
Type your name, section, date, and GAS AND GO
SAVE AS....GAS AND GO in your Home Directory (4th grade folder).


1. You must choose a car to drive!

Use the AAA Web Site http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/automotive/default.asp to locate your car.

Click on the MAKE/MODEL link on the AAA Web Site, then select the YEAR, MAKE, and MODEL of your car. Use 19041 as the Zip Code. When you select a car, add the name of your car to your GAS AND GO report in WORD. Next, click the RESEARCH link and find the FUEL CAPACITY (gas tank size), and MPG HIGHWAY (mile per gallon of gas). Add those numbers to your WORD report.

For example:

Honda CR-V
http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/automotive/default.asp
MPG Highway: 26 miles per gallon.
Fuel Capacity: 15 gallons.
Price of Regular Gas: $2.19 per gallon.

***


2. Plan your first trip!

Choose a city at least 500 miles away from Haverford, PA. Use MAPQUEST to get directions and find the mileage. Use 450 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041 as the starting address. Only use the City, and State names for your destination address.

For example:

MapQuest Directions
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/
HIGHWAY MILEAGE

Destination:  Tampa, Florida
Total miles: 1079

LONG DIVISION PROBLEM:
How many gallons of gas will you use?

Take the TOTAL MILES and DIVIDE BY your HIGHWAY MILEAGE PER GALLON.

1079 / 26 = 41 gallons of gas (remainder 5)

Students MUST use paper and pencil to do the LONG DIVISION.
Show your work to Mr. Brown, Mr. Wolov, Mr. Kearney, or Mrs. Teillon before entering the answer!

MULTIPLICAITON PROBLEM WITH DECIMALS:
How much money will you have to spend on gas to get to your destination?

$2.19 x 41 = $90
(round off to the nearest dollar)

SHORT DIVISION PROBLEM:
How many times will you have to fill up your tank?

41 gallons / 15 = 3 fill ups!
(Always round up here - it's better to have some gas left over in your tank!)


3. Bonus Miles: Why are you going to your city?

A.  Find a point of interest to visit at your city. Include the name and what is interesting about it.
B.  Find a famous person in your city - past or present. Include name and why they are famous.

For example:

A. Point of Interest
Florida Aquarium
The coral reefs gallery
with plants and animals native to Florida including live alligators!

Internet link:
Florida Aquirium: Downtown Tampa
http://www.tampagov.net/about_Tampa/attractions/Florida_Aquarium/index.asp
 

B. Famous Person
Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first arrived in Tampa in 1513,
but the Spanish decided to settle in eastern Florida and left the western Gulf Coast area.
It wasn't until 1824, two months after the arrival of the first Americans,
that the US Army established Fort Brooke to protect the harbor at Tampa Bay.

Internet link:
Tampa History
http://www.tampagov.net/documents/Tampa_history.asp

Project Page by Mr. Brown
Updated April 1, 2005

 
 
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