Blog #3, "Spaghetti and Meatballs for All"

Asma Aljarbou

Blog #3

11/4/14

Spaghetti and Meatballs for All

By Marilyn Burns

Story Summery:

It’s a story about Mrs. Comfort and Mr. Comfort who are planning to make family reunion dinner. So they plan the table, food, flowers, silver-plates and how they are going to arrange the place with the tables. However, as people are coming to the party thing changed. Every one pulls his table to the other. Mrs. Comfort starts to worry, but her husband was so clam everything will be Ok. Mrs. Comfort was very frustrated about how people changed the way she plans the tables and everything is missy and not in the order she wants. At the end Mr. Comfort realized why her wife frustrated there would not be a room for all people to eat. At the end they separate the tables where each four people would set in one square table.

Need to know:

·      They are inviting 32 people.

·      8 square tables to seat 4 people one to a side.

·      They are serving Spaghetti and meatballs and Salad: celery, tomatoes and olives.

·      Flowers, plates and silver

* Story Analysis *

a)    Algebra skills

When they explain how they planning the process of calling their love ones who are will add up to 32 persons “that 32 people all together including us”(page 4). If you want to know how many people are coming other than Mrs. and Mr. Comfort you will need to use a math formula (32-2=30).

It shows many relationships such as adding and multiplying for example when we want to know how any persons should Mrs. and Mr. Comfort assign for each table we use divide the number of people by the number of tables they have (32/8=4) each table it should have 4 guests.

b)   Input/output

For every table input will have 4 people setting “output”

There are many ways to re-arrange the tables and still they should be able to fit 4 persons. Also, there are many shapes children can create using 8 tables to have 32 people.

Moreover, the relationship between how many people the Comfort couple going to invite and the food they should have they used Tomatoes (independent) to cock Spaghetti (dependent).

c)    Domain and range

Domain: are all the input values, which best represented by number of tables we have.

Range: are all the output values number of people for each table is increasing as more people show up.

d)   Rate of change, Graphs

 by reading the story I could illustrate this schedule

Number of Tables X	Number of people Seated F(x)
1	4
2	8
3	12
4	16
5	20
6	24
7	28
8	32

ROC = 2-1/8-4= ¼, ROC = 3-2/12-8= ¼ … and so one and for that result we should illustrate that our relationship has a Linear Function because we have constant average rate of change. 

e)    Formula of the relationship:

We can create formula for this mathematical relationship F(x)= x*4

f)     Exponential functions

In this story where every table has four people in each side

To have the output value = 32 the best formula to give that is “ F(x) =2*(8/4)^4”

Reason for Book Choice:
I chose this book because it is about mathematical story and I was curious to read how children stories cloud explain math concepts. Also, the cover of the book was so funny and catch my eye. I have chosen the book form AU library CMC section where there are variety of books. I really enjoy reading this story, and I see how Literature is full of math. Children understand mathematical ideas through stories and pictures. and in this story the way they use pictures is so good, it picture the reaction for Mrs  Comfort anxiety and the miss people are doing. I felt like a child and I really like it. Literature is great way to connect real life with math. And with pictures and simple stories children can learn in fast and fun way. I realized that everything we are doing in a daily bases consists a mathematical concept.

** Thank You **