Activities for Students: Predicting Future Gas Prices Using the Standards for Mathematical Practice

Abstract

“How much do you think gas will cost when I graduate from high school?” Like many commodities, the price of gasoline continues to rise, and these price changes are readily observed in gas stations' signage. Moreover, algebraic methods are well suited to model price change and answer the student's question. Over the course of one ninetyminute block or two forty-five-minute classes, students build functions and interpret them in context. This article presents the activity, describes its implementation, provides sample student work, and discusses its relationship to the Standards for Mathematical Practice from the Common Core State Standards. Data used in the activity are available at http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?ap.