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MATH CHALLENGE
Use this activity to enhance math skills while learning about energy.
GRADE LEVEL
312
SUBJECT AREAS
Science
Social Studies
Math
Language Arts
Teacher Advisory Board
Shelly Baumann, Rockford, MI
Constance Beatty, Kankakee, IL
Sara Brownell, Canyon Country, CA
Amy Constant, Raleigh, NC
Joanne Coons, Clifton Park, NY
Regina Donour, Whitesburg, KY
Darren Fisher, Houston, TX
Deborah Fitton, Cape Light Compact, MA
Linda Fonner, New Martinsville, WV
Melanie Harper, Odessa, TX
Viola Henry, Thaxton, VA
Linda Hutton, Kitty Hawk, NC
Doug Keaton, Russell, KY
Barbara Lazar, Albuquerque, NM
Robert Lazar, Albuquerque, NM
Hallie Mills, Bonney Lake, WA
Mollie Mukhamedov, Port St. Lucie, FL
Don Pruett, Sumner, WA
Larry Richards, Eaton, IN
Barry Scott, Stockton, CA
Joanne Spaziano, Cranston, RI
Gina Spencer, Virginia Beach, VA
Tom Spencer, Chesapeake, VA
Nancy Stanley, Pensacola, FL
Scott Sutherland, Providence, RI
Robin Thacker, Henderson, KY
Doris Tomas, Rosenberg, TX
Patricia Underwood, Anchorage, AK
Jim Wilkie, Long Beach, CA
Carolyn Wuest, Pensacola, FL
Debby Yerkes, Ohio Energy Project, OH
Wayne Yonkelowitz, Fayetteville, WV
Permission to Copy
NEED materials may be reproduced for non-commercial educational purposes.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Teacher Guide .................................................................. 4
Answer Key ...................................................................... 6
Elementary Math Challenge .............................................. 7
Intermediate Math Challenge ......................................... 11
Secondary Math Challenge ............................................ 15
Evaluation Form ............................................................. 19
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 3
Teacher Guide
TO STRENGTHEN STUDENTS MATH SKILLS WHILE REINFORCING THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF ENERGY.
BACKGROUND
The Energy Math Challenge encourages students to recognize the interrelationship between math, science,
language arts, and social studies.
ELEMENTARY: There are four elementary questions for students to answer in groups of three.
INTERMEDIATE & SECONDARY: The questions are organized in rounds. In the first round, students working
together in small groups solve four different math problems. The same types of problems are repeated in rounds
two and three. In the fourth round, groups of students solve a Mega-Question that incorporates the four skills
targeted in the first three rounds.
TIME
ELEMENTARY: Each question takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
INTERMEDIATE & SECONDARY: The first three rounds take eight to ten minutes, and the fourth round takes
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
MATERIALS
ELEMENTARY:One copy of each question for each group of three students.
PROCEDURE
Step OnePreparation
n There are problems at three grade levels: Elementary (3-5), Intermediate (6-8), and Secondary (9-12).
These levels are identified on the top of the problem sheets. The Elementary problems are numbered One
through Four. The Intermediate and Secondary problems are numbered Rounds One through Three and
the MegaQuestions.
ELEMENTARY:
n Divide the class into groups of three students. Each group should have one strong math student.
n Duplicate a set of the four questions for each group.
n Decide what measuring tool you want the students to use in Question Four. Cuisenaire rods are recommended
if available.
PAGE 4 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
INTERMEDIATE & SECONDARY:
n Divide students into small groups.
n Duplicate a set of questions for each group for Rounds One and Two, as well as the Mega-Question.
n Duplicate a set of questions for each student for Round Three.
n For Rounds One and Two, cut each sheet into quarters. Clip together each set of four math problems for
Rounds One and Two. Provide scrap paper for each group. Decide if you want the students to write their
answers on the math problems or on scrap paper. Decide if you will allow students to use calculators.
ELEMENTARY:
n Place students in groups of three and give them one question at a time, or one question a day for four days.
For Question Four, explain the method of measurement before the students begin. Discuss each question
with the students after completion.
Btu One British thermal unit is the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one
degree Fahrenheit. A single Btu is quite small. A wooden kitchen match, if allowed to burn completely,
would give off one Btu of energy. Every day, the average American uses 88,900 Btus.
MBtu An MBtu is equal to one million (1,000,000) Btus. The average American family consumes 98 MBtus of
energy a year.
Quad Quads are used to measure very large quantities of energy. A quad is equal to one quadrillion
(1,000,000,000,000,000) Btus. The United States uses about one quad of energy every 3.8 days.
kWh A kilowatt-hour is the amount of electricity used in one hour at a rate of 1,000 watts. Just as we buy
gasoline in gallons and wood in cords, we buy electricity in kilowatt-hours. Utility companies charge their
customers for the kilowatt-hours they use during a month.
bkWh A bkWh is one billion (1,000,000,000) kilowatt-hours. The U.S. consumes approximately 3,500 billion
kilowatt-hours (bkWh) of electricity a year.
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 5
Answer Key
Elementary Answers
Intermediate Answers
Round One: 1. 56.4 MBtu 2. 1/15
3. 13.87 MBD 4. 19.9%
Mega-Question: The totals for the Today list: Renewable6.8 quads, Nonrenewable93.1 quads, and Total
99.9 quads. The total for the 2030 list is 129.9 quads. There are no right or wrong answers for the 2030 pie chart
as long as the numbers add up to 129.9 quads.
Secondary Answers
Round One: 1. 19.9% 2. 83.4 million units
3. 840 units 4. 684 bkWh
Mega-Question: The total for the 2030 list of sources is 129.9 quads. There are no right or wrong answers for the
2030 pie chart as long as the numbers add up to 100%.
PAGE 6 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
ELEMENTARY MATH CHALLENGE
PROBLEM ONE
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 7
ELEMENTARY MATH CHALLENGE
PROBLEM TWO
PAGE 8 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
ELEMENTARY MATH CHALLENGE
PROBLEM THREE
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 9
ELEMENTARY MATH CHALLENGE
PROBLEM FOUR
PAGE 10 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
1. The average American housing unit uses 45 2. Natural gas is often used for heating buildings
percent of the total energy it consumes for and homes. In fact, natural gas heats more than
heating and cooling rooms. Each month, 4.7 half of the nations housing units. Reduced to the
MBtus of energy are used for maintaining lowest common denominator, what fraction of the
comfortable temperatures in our homes. How housing units is heated by propane?
many MBtus of energy does the average housing
unit consume each year for heating and cooling
rooms?
Answer:______________________MBtu Answer:___________________________
3. The United States consumes more petroleum 4. What percentage of the nations electricity is
than it can produce. Today, the U.S. consumes generated by uranium?
20.8 Million Barrels a Day (MBD) of petroleum
only one-third of the petroleum was supplied by
domestic production. To the nearest tenth of an
MBD, how many MBDs are imported from other
nations to supply Americas demand for
petroleum?
Answer:________________________MBD Answer:______________________percent
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 11
1. Hydropower is a renewable source of energy. 2. Renewables provide the nation with about
Hydropower provided 2.9 % of the 99.87 quads seven percent of the energy the U.S. consumes.
of energy we consumed in 2006. Energy The use of renewable energy sources to generate
experts predict hydropower production will electricity accounts for 70 % of their use. Reduced
remain relatively constant during the next five to the lowest common denominator, what fraction
years. How many total quads of energy will of the nations renewables is used for
hydropower provide the nation during the next transportation?
five years?
Answer:_____________________quads Answer:________________________
3. Propane is 270 times more compact in its 4. From the graph, what percentage of total energy
liquid state than it is as a gas. This makes consumption is provided by hydropower?
propane a very portable source of heat energy.
How many liters of propane gas would a three
liter pressurized tank hold for your next
camping trip?
Answer:_____________________liters Answer:_________________________
PAGE 12 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
1. The United States imports two-thirds of its 2. Coal generates half the nations electricity.
petroleum from other countries. The average Uranium, hydropower, and natural gas produce
daily import is 14.5 million barrels. How many significant amounts, too. Reduced to the lowest
barrels of petroleum would the nation import common denominator, what fraction of electricity
during the month of March? is provided by the other energy sources?
Answer:______________________barrels Answer:________________________
3. About 6/7 of the energy given off by the 4. From the graph, what percentage of the nations
splitting of uranium atoms is due to the motion consumption of biomass energy is provided by
of the splitting atoms. The other 1/7 of the wood and wood waste?
heat energy is a result of the radiation released.
Uranium provides the nation with 8.2 quads of
energy a year. To the nearest quad, how many
quads of energy are the result of the radiation
released by the splitting uranium atoms?
Answer:_______________________quads Answer:_____________________percent
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 13
MATHchallenge MEGA-QUESTION
INTERMEDIATE
Almost all the energy we use in the United States comes from nonrenewable energy sources. Using the
circle graph below, figure out how many total quads of energy we use today, and how many quads are renewable
and nonrenewable. Write your answers in the spaces below.
By 2030, experts predict that the United States will use 30 percent more energy than we do today. Calculate
how many total quads of energy the United States will use and write it in the space below.
Will we use the same sources to provide that energy or will we use different sources? As a team, discuss
how the energy picture will change by 2030. Fill in the blank circle graph using your teams predictions. The
blank circle graph is 30 percent larger to show you what this increase looks like. How many quads of
renewable energy do you think we will use? How many quads of nonrenewable energy? Add up the figures on
your graph and fill in the total amounts.
Today
Renewable: quads
Nonrenewable: quads
Total energy use: quads
PAGE 14 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
1. The United States consumes about 4,000 2. Approximately 72 % of the nations 115.8 million
billion kilowatt-hours (bkWh) of electricity a housing units are heated by natural gas. To the
year. Uranium fuels about 796 bkWh of this nearest million, how many housing units in the
electrical power generation. To the nearest nation are heated by natural gas?
tenth of a percent, calculate the percentage of
the nations electricity that is generated by
uranium in nuclear power plants.
Answer:____________________percent Answer:____________________units
3. Todays power plants convert about one-third 4. The U.S. consumes about 4000 billion kilowatt-
of the energy stored in fuels into electricity. hours (bkWh) of electricity a year. How many billion
During these conversions, most of the energy kilowatt-hours of electricity does natural gas
is transformed into heat rather than electricity. provide?
A certain electric power plant consumes 360
units of energy every day. How many units of
electricity would the plant actually generate in
a week?
Answer:___________________units
Answer:______________bkWh
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 15
1. The United States consumes about 20.8 2. Hydropower, biomass, wind, and solar energy are
million barrels of petroleum a day. Gasoline, the all a result of the suns rays striking the earth.
number one product produced by the refining of Geothermal energy, which provides approximately
petroleum, consumes 9.3 million barrels of the five percent of the nations renewable energy, is
petroleum. To the nearest full percent, calculate the only renewable source resulting from energy
the percentage of petroleum that is refined into found below the earths surface. All five renewable
gasoline. sources of energy provide the nation with about
6.8 quads of energy. To the nearest tenth of a quad,
how many quads of energy are a result of the suns
rays striking the earths surface?
Answer:______________________percent Answer:_______________________quads
3. A 42 gallon barrel of petroleum is refined 4. The U.S. consumes about 99.9 quads of energy
into kerosene, jet fuel, heating oil, and gasoline a year. How many quads of energy does hydropower
(the number one product). About 18.9 of the provide the United States?
42 gallons of petroleum are refined into
gasoline. A tanker containing 920 million
barrels of petroleum has unloaded its cargo at
the refinery. To the nearest million, how many
barrels of petroleum from the tanker will be
refined into gasoline?
PAGE 16 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
1. To generate electricity, a fossil fuel power 2. The average American family consumes
plant consumes 72 units of chemical energy approximately 98 Million Btus (MBtus) of energy
stored in the fossil fuel. Only 26 units of a year. Heating and cooling rooms accounts for 45
electrical energy are actually produced and sent percent of total household energy use, operating
out over the transmission lines. This loss appliances and lights accounts for 42 percent, and
occurs because a large amount of the energy heating water accounts for 13 percent. To the
stored in a fossil fuel is changed into thermal nearest MBtu, how many MBtus of energy are
(heat) energy during the generation of electrical consumed by the average household for heating
power. To the nearest whole percent, calculate and cooling rooms?
the efficiency of this power plant at converting
chemical energy into electrical energy.
Answer:_______________________percent Answer:_________________________MBtu
3. When uranium atoms are split, they give off 4. Biomass provides the nation with 3.28 quads
heat. This heat produces high pressure steam of energy. How many quads of biomass energy are
that turns a turbine in a nuclear power plant. provided by wood and wood waste?
Each year, the nations 100 nuclear power plants
generate about 796 bkWh of electricity20
percent of total U.S. electricity production. To
the nearest hundredth of a bkWh, how many
bkWh of electricity does the average U.S.
nuclear power plant generate a month?
© 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029 Energy Math Challenge PAGE 17
MATHchallenge MEGA-QUESTION
SECONDARY
Energy experts predict the nations total annual energy use will increase by 30 percent by the year 2030.
Which energy sources will provide that additional energy? Will all of them change at the same rate as
consumption, or will some sources increase more, while others remain unchanged? Some sources may even
decline in consumption.
Below is a circle graph showing the contribution each of the energy sources provides the nation today. As a
team, discuss what role each of the sources will play in 2030. After your discussion, complete the blank
2030 circle graph. To show you what 30 percent more looks like, the 2030 blank circle graph is 30 percent
larger than todays circle. Make sure you include your reasons for selecting the number of quads each source
will provide in 2030.
2030 CONSUMPTION
1. Petroleum quads
2. Natural Gas quads
3. Coal quads
4. Uranium quads
5. Biomass quads
6. Hydropower quads
7. Propane quads
8. Other quads
TOTAL quads
PAGE 18 Energy Math Challenge © 2008 THE NEED PROJECT PO BOX 10101 MANASSAS, VA 20108 1-800-875-5029
ENERGY MATH CHALLENGE
Evaluation Form
How would you rate the activity overall (excellent, good, fair, poor)?
How would your students rate the activity overall (excellent, good, fair, poor)?
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