Problem of the Week Archive
Memorial Day Weekend – May 30, 2016
Problems & Solutions
The Hunting Hills Club was planning to open their pool for the
season over Memorial Day weekend. The pool was empty and
the club manager was trying to calculate how much it would cost
them to fill it completely. City water costs $4 for every 1000 gallons.
The pool is a rectangle 15 feet wide by 30 feet long. The pool is filled to a
depth of 3 feet at one end and increases at a uniform slope to a depth of 6 feet
on the other end. One cubic foot is equivalent to 7.48 gallons. How much will it
cost to completely fill the pool?
The volume of the pool in cubic feet is 15 × 30 × 3 + ½ × 15 × 30 × 3 = 1350 + 675 = 2025 ft3. The volume in gallons is,
therefore, 2025 × 7.48 = 15,147 gallons or 15.147 thousand gallons. Since water costs $4 for every 1000 gallons, the pool
will cost 4 × 15.147 = 60.588 ≈ $60.59 to fill completely.
Memorial Day was originally celebrated on May 30th every year, but in 1971 the Uniform Monday
Holiday Act made Memorial Day the last Monday in May every year. This year, the last Monday just
so happens to be the 30th. In what year will Memorial Day again fall on May 30th?
Since there are 31 days in May, anytime May 30th lands on a Monday, it will be the last Monday in the month. So we are looking
for the year when May 30th will again fall on a Monday. In a regular year there are 365 days, with a 7-day week, this is 52 full
weeks and 1 day. So next year, 2017, May 30th will be one calendar day later than this year and fall on a Tuesday. In 2018 it
will be on a Wednesday and in 2019 it will be on a Thursday. Since 2020 is a leap year, there are 366 days or 52 full weeks
plus 2 days. This means in 2020 May 30th will be two calendar days later than in 2019 and will fall on a Saturday. In 2021 it
will be again one calendar day later and fall on a Sunday. May 30th will again fall on a Monday in 2022.
Memorial Day weekend is a big time for traveling, as many people head
out on vacation for the long weekend. The American Automobile
Association (AAA) estimated that 38 million Americans will have traveled
via automobile over the weekend, up 700,000 from the same weekend
last year. Compared to the number of travelers last year, this additional
700,000 travelers represents what percent increase? Express your
answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
If 38,000,000 is 700,000 more than last year, then last year 38,000,000 – 700,000 = 37,300,000 Americans traveled via
automobile over Memorial Day weekend. The 700,000 travelers represent an increase of 700,000 ÷ 37,300,000 × 100 ≈
1.9%.
Problem of the Week Archive
Memorial Day Weekend – May 30, 2016
Problems
Updated 6-1-16
The Hunting Hills Club was planning to open their pool for the
season over Memorial Day weekend. The pool was empty and
the club manager was trying to calculate how much it would cost
them to fill it completely. City water costs $4 for every 1000 gallons.
The pool is a rectangle 15 feet wide by 30 feet long. The pool is filled to a
depth of 3 feet at one end and increases at a uniform slope to a depth of 6 feet
on the other end. One cubic foot is equivalent to 7.48 gallons. How much will it
cost to completely fill the pool?
Memorial Day was originally celebrated on May 30th every year, but in 1971 the Uniform Monday
Holiday Act made Memorial Day the last Monday in May every year. This year, the last Monday just
so happens to be the 30th. In what year will Memorial Day again fall on May 30th?
Memorial Day weekend is a big time for traveling, as many people head
out on vacation for the long weekend. The American Automobile
Association (AAA) estimated that 38 million Americans will have traveled
via automobile over the weekend, up 700,000 from the same weekend
last year. Compared to the number of travelers last year, this additional
700,000 travelers represents what percent increase? Express your
answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.