Lesson 7 Solve Multiplicative Comparison Problems

    • Let’s solve real-world multiplicative comparison problems.

Warm-up Notice and Wonder: Two Cities

What do you notice? What do you wonder?

San Francisco, CA

Fort Wayne, IN

population

milk (1 gallon)

bread (1 loaf)

gasoline (1 gallon)

movie ticket

internet connection (1 month)

rent for a 3 bedroom apartment in the city center (1 month)

cost of a house

Activity 1 The Most and Least Expensive

map of the world. India, shaded green. Bermuda, circled in red.

Bermuda is the most expensive country in the world and India is one of the least expensive.

  1. The table shows how prices of some things in the two countries compare. Estimate or calculate the missing costs and complete the table.

    Bermuda

    cost in Bermuda is as in India

    India

    a meal with a drink (1 person)

    12 times as much

    gasoline (1 gallon)

    2 times as much

    brand-name jeans

    2.5 times as much

    men’s leather shoes

    4 times as much

    internet connection

    14 times as much

  2. In India, rent for a 1-bedroom apartment outside of a city center costs about $76 per month. A similar apartment in Bermuda costs 23 times as much.

    Utilities (electric, gas, water, and heating) for a small apartment costs about $27 in India and 7 times as much in Bermuda.

    If a person earns $2,000 per month, can they afford to pay rent and utilities in Bermuda?

Activity 2 The Cost of Living

photograph of a city in Ghana

Problem 1

photograph of a crowded street in Ghana

The cost of living in the United States is higher than in Ghana.
The table shows how the prices of some other things in the two countries compare. Estimate or calculate the missing information in the table.

monthly cost

United States

cost in the US is as in Ghana

Ghana

1-bedroom apartment in city center

2 times as much

1-bedroom apartment outside of the city center

9 times as much

utilities for a 915 square foot apartment

transportation pass

3 times as much

private preschool for 1 child

Problem 2

Suppose a family has $3,000 for housing and wants a 1-bedroom apartment outside of a city center. With that amount of money, how many months of rent can they afford in:

  1. the United States? Explain or show your reasoning.

  2. Ghana? Explain or show your reasoning.