- \n
- 1 McChicken ‘n’ Cheese<\/li>\n
- 1 Filet-O-Fish<\/li>\n
- 6-piece Chicken McNuggets<\/li>\n
- 1 Medium French Fries<\/li>\n
- 1 Potato Wedges<\/li>\n
- 2 Small Cokes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n
Figuring out what I want to eat is easy – the challenge is to figure out how best to place my order. Having spent an enervating evening conceptualising ‘real-life’ Maths questions with Mr Sim, I can’t believe what Ronald is putting me through. Another real-life Maths question. Except this is a real-life question, not a real-life one on paper.<\/p>\n
These are real-life Math heuristic problem sums that PSLE Math examiners love to set. These questions are the notorious P6 Difficult Math questions. You should train your kids at MacDonald’s, as it makes a difference in pocket money.<\/p>\n
Back to the menu – this is how the prices look like for a-la-carte and MacDonald’s Set Menu:<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Fun-with-Math-at-MacDonalds-2.webp” alt=”Fun with Maths at MacDonald’s.” title_text=”Fun with Math at MacDonalds 2″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]
I steal a furtive glance behind me. The coast is clear \u2013 no impatient customers peeping over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
I make it my mission in life, at least for the next 5 minutes, to find the most cost-efficient way to place my order.<\/p>\n
Punching numbers into my phone calculator is not an option; it\u2019s not cool<\/em><\/strong>. How best to solve this quickly?<\/p>\n
Primary Maths Heuristic – Making A List?<\/h4>\n
The most direct approach involves listing all the order permutations. In Primary Maths Heuristics, this bulldozer approach is known as (unsurprisingly) \u2018Making a List\u2019.<\/p>\n
The computation required will look like this:<\/p>\n
McChicken \u2018n\u2019 Cheese a la carte ($2.60) + Filet-O-Fish with Medium French Fries and Small Coke ($5.00) + 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with Potato Wedges and Small Coke ($6.80) = ?
McChicken \u2018n\u2019 Cheese a la carte ($2.60) + Filet-O-Fish with Potato Wedges and Small Coke ($5.80) + 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with Medium French Fries and Small Coke ($6.00) = ?
Filet-O-Fish ($2.50) + McChicken \u2018n\u2019 Cheese with Medium French Fries and Small Coke ($5.60) + 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with Potato Wedges and Small Coke ($6.80) = ?<\/p>\nIn Maths, three consecutive ellipses means \u2018and so the list goes on\u2019. For those who are still with me, you\u2019ve probably figured out that there are 6 possible ways to place my order.<\/p>\n
Even if I had enough RAM in my brain to perform the necessary computations and store all the intermediate results, this method doesn\u2019t seem efficient.<\/p>\n
Is there a shortcut?<\/h4>\n
Time to reassess my objective. What I\u2019m really interested in is the cheapest way to place my order. That means what I should be focusing on at this point is the relative price difference<\/em><\/strong> among the different combos, and not the absolute total amount<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n
With this in mind, I scan the price list again. The presence of some round dollar amounts and a healthy \u2018number sense\u2019 lead me to discover something. The difference in cost between the Fries + Coke combo and Wedges + Coke combo for all mains is $0.80.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/fun-with-maths-at-MacDonalds-Combi.webp” alt=”Fun with Maths at MacDonalds – Difficult P6 Maths Questions” title_text=”fun with maths at MacDonalds Combi” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]
That tells me there is no cost difference between the order configurations below:<\/p>\n
Main A a la carte + Main B-Fries-Coke combo + Main C-Wedges-Coke combo
Main A a la carte + Main C-Fries-Coke combo + Main B-Wedges-Coke combo
Thus, the problem is now reduced to identifying the main that I should order a la carte.<\/p>\nI shift my attention to the next type of price difference: main a la carte and Fries-Coke combo (or Wedges-Coke combo).<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Fun-with-Maths-at-MacDonalds-3.webp” alt=”Fun with Math – Math Heuristics” title_text=”Fun with Maths at MacDonalds 3″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”17px” text_line_height=”1.5em” global_colors_info=”{}”]
It\u2019s now clear which main I should order a la carte. If you pick correctly, you should pay only $14.40. If you pick incorrectly, you could end up paying $1.45 more!<\/p>\n
Parents, the next time you visit McDonald\u2019s, you might want to delegate the ordering to your children to give them a mental maths workout.<\/p>\n
Note to self: To discuss with Mr Sim about adapting this scenario in an upcoming Maths lesson\u2026and if your appetite for MacDonald’s and Math are all fired up, take the MacDonald’s test<\/a> with their Delivery Orders.<\/p>\n
Follow us on Facebook<\/a> or our blogs<\/a> for regular dose of educational tips.<\/p>\n
Related articles:<\/p>\n
1. Why are PSLE Math Questions So Hard?<\/a><\/p>\n
2. How to Help Your Child Improve Composition Writing at Home<\/a><\/p>\n
3. 8 Best Primary Schools in Toa Payoh that Parents Love<\/a><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/math3.avif” alt=”Primary Maths Class at Joyous Learning” title_text=”math3″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.5em” global_colors_info=”{}”]
About Joyous Learning<\/h3>\n
More Than Just Tuition: <\/strong>We go beyond standard tutoring. Our unique, curated curriculum is thoughtfully designed and fully aligned with the MOE syllabus, ensuring students stay on track academically.<\/p>\n
Expert Educators<\/strong>: Our tutors are all ex-school teachers, bringing years of real classroom experience and expertise to every lesson. We know exactly how to nurture students\u2019 potential.<\/p>\n
Personalised Care:<\/strong> We guide with love and care, creating an engaging and supportive environment that students look forward to. Learning becomes something they enjoy, not dread.<\/p>\n
No Generic Assessment Books:<\/strong> We don\u2019t rely on off-the-shelf materials. Our curriculum is tailor-made to meet individual student needs, delivering better understanding and results.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Take the MacDonald’s Maths Heuristic test today. Have fun with your child!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":227760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n
![\"PSLE](\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/d9e74e_6f883993ab184c4d8fcf54723f53090d~mv2.jpg\/v1\/fill\/w_360,h_796,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto\/d9e74e_6f883993ab184c4d8fcf54723f53090d~mv2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt's 9:25 pm and I haven't had dinner yet. I've just spent the better part of the last hour discussing with Mr Sim about how melting ice affects the level of water in a container. It's for one of the questions he's setting concerning volume. No, it's not for Science, but Maths. Yes, Mr Sim is one who takes his 'real-life' questions to whole new levels (pun intended).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All that thinking has made me hungry. I guess what scientists say about the brain consuming 20% of body's total haul must be true. It takes a few minutes of flipping through the pages of the virtual menu on the self-order kiosk to figure out what I want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My wish list runs thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 1 McChicken 'n' Cheese<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1 Filet-O-Fish<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1 6-piece Chicken McNuggets<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1 Medium French Fries<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1 Potato Wedges<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 2 Small Cokes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Figuring out what I want to eat is easy. Not so easy is figuring out how best to place my order. Having spent an enervating evening conceptualizing 'real-life' Maths questions with Mr Sim, I can't believe what Ronald is putting me through. Another real-life Maths question. Except this is a real-life question in real-life, not a real-life question on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read part 2<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
#MathsHeuristics<\/a> #Mathsinreallife<\/a><\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[13,45,40],"tags":[64,66,65,67],"class_list":["post-233099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pri-maths","category-holistic-learning","category-primary-school","tag-fun-with-maths","tag-heuristics","tag-macdonalds-math-test","tag-psle-maths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233099"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233168,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233099\/revisions\/233168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.joyouslearning.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}