Few teenagers have not gone shopping with their parents in a supermarket.
They also assist by slipping a delectable into the trolley but seldom do they pay and when they do they only pay attention to the total amount.
This perception changed recently when Treverton grade ten Maths Literacy students together with the Head of the Department Conrad Bubb paid a visit to the local Spar.
The purpose of the trip was to look at the “applied” maths and the many facets of calculation when buying groceries.
They were set tasks of rounding off the amount due when buying cash and being aware that there are items, which have VAT added to them and there are VAT free items.
This required a more perceptive attitude to calculating vat on the total purchases.
The store responded to this interesting out of the classroom lesson by giving some students a discount on their purchases.
This set another exercise in calculation, working the discounted amount in relation the final amount required and the tax amount.
The pupils enjoyed their outing out of the classroom and their exercise in applying Maths in a real life shopping experience.
There is no doubt that in future, they will view grocery shopping in a new light and pass on advice gained from their knowledge to their parents.