tlh teacher’s little helper
Worksheet

Extension & Challenge — Financial Mathematics

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Part A — At the School Shop

Money problems use decimals to two places — the cents. Line up the decimal points when you add, and remember that change is what is left after subtracting the cost from the money handed over.

Three school-shop price tags: a pen for $4.50, a ruler for $2.95 and a book for $7.20.
School-shop prices: pen $4.50, ruler $2.95, book $7.20.
1 You buy one pen, one ruler and one book. What is the total cost?

Answer:

2 You pay for the three items in question 1 with a $20 note. How much change should you get?
3 A teacher buys 5 pens and 5 rulers for the class. What is the total? Show a quick way to work it out.
4 Can you afford it? You have $15. You want 2 books. Can you afford them? If not, how much short are you?
5 Best value. Pens are also sold in a pack of 3 for $12. Is the pack cheaper than buying 3 single pens? By how much per pen?
6 Open challenge. You have exactly $20 and must spend as close to all of it as possible (without going over) on these three items. List what you would buy and the total.

Part B — Discounts, Profit & Budgets

Financial maths is full of percentages: discounts reduce a price, profit is the difference between cost and selling price, and a budget checks that spending does not beat the money available.

1 A jacket is $80. In a sale it is 25% off. Find the saving and the sale price.
2 A market stall buys oranges for $0.40 each and sells them for $0.70 each. What is the profit on one orange? On 50 oranges?
3 Sam earns $12 pocket money each week. He saves ¼ of it. How much does he save in 8 weeks?
4 Budget. You are given $50 to plan a class party. Drinks cost $18, snacks $22, decorations $7. Do you have enough? How much is left over or how much extra is needed?
5 Compare deals. Shop A offers “20% off $50”. Shop B offers “$15 off $50”. Which is the better deal, and by how much?
6 Prove it. A shop raises a $100 item by 10%, then later takes 10% off the new price. Is the final price back to $100? Explain what happens.