Math_rev_war

This activity is focused on budgeting and the current cost of war. To begin, divide students in to groups of four or less. Ask them to quote a figure for how much a three-month war would cost for today’s government. Then, allow students 30 minutes to research the current cost of rifles (within reason), ammunition, soldiers’ uniforms/fatigues, and the average food intake for one man per day. Once the research is complete, have students figure the total cost of supplying all of these things for one soldier for one day. Then ask them to determine how many soldiers the United States would have to send to battle in order to win a three month war with a country of their choosing. They should make a mathematically sound decision and be able to back it up with numbers/research. Given the number of soldiers needed and the cost of a single soldier per day, have the students determine the total cost of providing for the soldiers for the war. Now, ask each group to calculate what percentage of their original “war budget” they used for providing the bare minimum for each soldier. Was their budget realistic? If not, have them reconfigure it so that it provides for more than just the cost of soldiers. You may want to extend this lesson to figure what percent of the government’s current budget goes to overseas warfare. This lesson is not meant to be for or against war itself; it is intended to demonstrate the costliness and reality of such a venture as well as increase critical thinking and budgeting skills. The following websites may help students with their research: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042601753.html, http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm, andhttp://store.brownpride.com/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=15. Holly Miller, Crescent Middle School