1) A local college releases figures showing that its total budget is $120 million. Of that total, $80 million comes from the state, $6 million from student tuition, and the remaining $34 million from fees, grants and gifts.
· Figure the percentage of the college’s budget that comes from each source. 66.6% comes from state, 5% comes from student tuition, and 28.3% comes from fees, grants and gifts.
· Using plain words, instead of numbers, explain the proportion of funding that comes from different sources. Say it in the way you think would make it most easily understood.
66.6% of the local college’s budget comes from the state, while 28.3% comes from fees, grants and gifts and the remaining 5% of the college’s budget comes from student tuition.
2) Your editor assigns you to do a story about prison sentences handed down in cases of aggravated assault. He gives you the following figures from an anti-crime group that is lobbying for tougher sentencing guidelines. The cases represent the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006.
Name Sentence
Ron Nguyen 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Richard Smith 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Wesley Mitchell 14 months prison, 1 year probation
Mary Carr-Jones 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Carl Rodriguez 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Harold Rothstein 8 months prison, 1 year probation
Michael Reese 7 years prison, 5 years probation
Calculate the average prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault, taking care to convert some of the terms to figures that will compare properly (months vs. years). 12+12+14+12+12+12+8+84= 22months = 1 yr.10 months
Calculate the median prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault. 8,12,12,12,12,12,14,84=12
· Explain why you think the average or the median is the most accurate description of prison terms.
The median is the most accurate description of prison terms because the majority of prison terms for aggravated assault in San Jose are one year. The medium is 12 which are twelve months which equals one year. The average is a much longer term because it added a few more months because of the lone seven year term.
3) The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the sales tax in the same way grocery sales are exempt.
·Explain how much fast-food patrons who pay $5 per meal would save in a year if they eat out once a week. Base your calculations on the state sales tax only, not local/city taxes.
48*5=240/7.25 state sales tax =$17.40
If you spend $5 dollars per week eating out only once a week you will save $17.40 a year.
·Explain how much people would save if they spend $20 per meal once a week for a year.
20*4=80*12=960 .0725*960=$69.60
Now if you eat more fast food and spend $20 per meal once a week for a year in a whole year you will be saving $69.60 that is enough to buy you two weeks or more of groceries!!
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1 comment:
1) You got the numbers right (yeah!), but you need to make it simpler and easier to understand when you write about it. For example, you could say "two-thirds of the budget comes from the state," etc.
Also, it's AP style to write out the word "percent."
2) You got it!
3) Looks good except there are 52 weeks in a year so that should be your multiplier. Also, simplify:
If you spend $20 a week eating out, you will save $69.60 a year -- enough to eat out for another three weeks or to buy a couple bags of groceries.
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