Taxi Cabs

[Decoration]

Taxi Cabs

Pupils plan a trip for a large party using two kinds of taxi cab. They try to decide how many of each cab they need to minimise the overall transport costs.

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Practical details

Suitability
National Curriculum levels 5 to 6
Time
20 to 40 minutes
Resources
Pencil, calculator and paper

Key Processes involved

Representing
Select a suitable representation (e.g. symbols or a table) to record their analysis
Analysing
Explore the effect of varying the values in the problem, bearing in mind the constraints; calculate costs systematically
Interpreting and evaluating
Consider the assumptions and the context and look for an optimum solution
Communicating and reflecting
Communicate their conclusion and reasoning clearly and effectively

Teacher guidance

Check that pupils understand the context, with an introduction such as:

  • Max and Liz need to get a party of 75 people to the airport.
  • Taxis charge either by using a meter or for a fixed price for a journey. The taxis that they will use charge fixed prices for the journey.
  • What size taxis are available and how many people can each type hold?
  • The aim is to transport 75 people to the airport as cheaply as possible

Pupils can tackle this task in different ways, but they might be expected to:

  • solve simple problems involving ratios and direct proportion