IJMC Socio-math?

                        IJMC - Socio-math?

I'm in intro to Sociology right now...ok, well, a few hours ago, or 
longer for the West Coast delayed folks. But this little socio-math quiz 
throws me for a loop. Course, I'm not from California, so maybe I'm just 
not supposed to be able to pass...                                 -dave







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Socio-math problems for San Francisco students:

1). Zelda and Jane were given a rottweiler at their commitment ceremony.
If their dog needs to be walked two miles a day and they walk at a rate of
3/4 mile per hour, how much time will they spend discussing their
relationship in public? 

2). Michael has two abusive stepfathers and an alcoholic mother. If his
self-esteem is reduced by 20% per dysfunctional parent, but Michael feels
3% better for every person he denigrates, how long will it take before
he's ready to go home if 1 person walks by the cafe every 2 minutes? 

3). Sanjeev has 7 piercings. If the likelihood of getting cellulitis on a
given day is 10% per piercing, what is the likelihood Sanjeev will need to
renew his erythromycin prescription during the next week? 

4). Chad wants to take half a pound of pot to Orinda and sell it at a 20%
profit. If it originally cost him $1,500 in food stamps, how much should
Nicole write the check for? 

5). The City and County of San Francisco decide to destroy 50 rats
infesting downtown. If 9,800 animal rights activists hold a candlelight
vigil, how many people did each dead rat empower? 

6). A red sock, a yellow sock, a blue sock, and a white sock are tossed
randomly in a drawer. What is the likelihood that the first two socks
drawn will be socks of color? 

7). George weighs 245 pounds and drinks two triple lattes every morning.
If each shot of espresso contains 490mg of caffeine, what is George's
average caffeine density in mg/pound? 

8). There are 4500 homes in Mill Valley and all of them recycle plastic.
If each household recycles 10 soda bottles a day and buys one polar fleece
pullover per month, does Mill Valley have a monthly plastic surplus or
deficit? Bonus question: Assuming all the plastic bottles are 1 liter
size, how much Evian are they drinking? 

9). If the average person can eat one pork pot sticker in 30 seconds, and
the waitress brings a platter of 12 pot stickers, how long will it take
five vegans to not eat them? 

10). Todd begins walking down Market Street with 12 $1 bills in his
wallet. If he always gives panhandlers a single buck, how many legs did he
have to step over if he has $3 left when he reaches the other end and met
only one double-amputee? 


Advanced Placement Students Only:

11) Katie, Trip, Ling, John-John and Effie share a three-bedroom apartment
on Guerrero for $2400 a month. Effie and Trip can share one bedroom, but
the other three need their own rooms with separate ISDN lines to run their
web servers. None of them wants to use the futon in the living room as a
bed, and they each want to save $650 in three months to attend Burning
Man. 

What is their best option:

a) All five roommates accept a $12/hour job-share as handgun monitors at
Mission High. 

b) Ask Miles, the bisexual auto mechanic, to share Effie and Trip's
bedroom for $500/month. 

c) Petition the Board of Supervisors to advance Ling her annual
digital-artists-of-color stipend. 

d) Rent strike.


IJMC October 1998 Archives