The essential question that this task poses to students is: How can I become a well-informed, cost-conscious consumer of goods and services using my mathematical skills?
In this task, students have the opportunity to choose a good or service that they would like to purchase.
After researching prices for that good or service, they will create a model of the rates for the given services/goods being evaluated with a system of equations. They should analyze a solution (e.g., compare the slopes, the y-intercept) in order to create a report that analyzes a "better deal” between two comparable services/goods. Then, the student will construct a cost/benefit analysis: What are the benefits (tangible and intangible) of each choice? What are the costs (tangible and intangible)? Finally, they will present their findings to "the public" (e.g., their classmates).
