Welcome to mathematics on Church Street by: Gerald Feenan

1. Welcome to mathematics on Church Streetby: Gerald Feenan

2. We begin by driving from Richmond to Burlington. The trip takes us about 15 minutes as we average 60 miles per hour. Estimate how many miles Burlington is from Richmond?

3. As we approach the city of Burlington we notice exit signs which help us to know where to leave the highway. Exit numbers increase as you travel north. There are two exits between Richmond and the Burlington sign shown below. What is the number of the Richmond exit?

4. Driving down Main Street toward the Church Street Marketplace we can see Lake Champlain to the west and the Adirondack Mts. Also notice the cars parked at an angle in order to allow them to move in and out of traffic. Lake Champlain is the lagest freshwater lake in the U.S. after the Great Lakes. How Many freshwater lakes are larger than Lake Champlain?

5. As we leave our car we must first pay for parking at the parking meter. As we place money in the meter the time begins to increase. The time on the meter to the left is however decreasing. We calculate how much time we will spend on Church Street and how much money we will need…25 cents for 15 minutes of timeHow much money did we spend to park?

6. The Flynn Theatre billboard forces us to do a math word problem. If today is Monday April 20, and KD Lang is playing on April 24, What day of the week is KD Lang playing?

7. Here is one of Burlington’s poster boards. Rectangles on rectangles on rectangles. If someone wanted to fill the rest of the board with the “Cots Walk” posters (without overlapping), how many posters would they need? Would rectangular poster work better then circular ones to fill the board? Why?

8. Lots of people drop money in the fountain at City Hall. How much money do you see in the picture?

9. Yes, pay phones do still exist!! 50cents for 2 minutes of time. We talked to a friend for seven minutes. How much money did we spend?

10. This is a plaque on what is now Sweetwater's Restaurant. It was however, a bank at one time. The bank was in business from 1882-1926. How many years was the bank in business? How long has it been since the bank was in business?

11. In order to pay for the things we are going to buy on Church Street, we need to get some money from the ATM. Its important for us to know the language of math. Which button should we push next? We need more than $60.00

12. Here is a menu from Sweetwater’s Restaurant. I want a bowl of the clam chowder and my wife wants a cup of the soup of the day. How much will this cost us before tax and tips?

13. We need a new thermometer for our refrigerator so we went to Kiss the Cook. How many degrees are represented as “DANGER ZONE”?How many degrees are there from the coldest temperature to the warmest?

14. If there are 128 fluid ounces in a gallon, then how many ounces are there in 3 gallons?How many gallons in 32 cups?

15. Interesting Latitude markers on Church street. How many degrees make a circle?

16. I want to buy a sweatshirt that cost a total of $10.00. What will be the final cost after the 20% savings and before tax?

17. We had to go to the bookstore to buy my father in law a birthday card as he is turning 87 this year. I am 48 years old. How much older is my father in law than me?

18. At the bookstore we are buying a map of New England for a summer trip to Boston. Burlington is about 300 miles from Boston. If we average 60 miles per hour, how long will it take us to get to Boston from Burlington?

19. Most stores on Church Street have the store hours listed on the front door or the front window. This store is open on Friday from 10:00am to 10:00pm.How many hours is the store open on Friday?

20. This is the Church on Church Street. What time will it be in exactly one hour from the time on the clock? Also notice the many geometric shapes that make up this building. How many can you describe?

21. Many people are using their cell phones on Church Street as they shop. How many numbers would you have to dial to make a long distance phone call in this country?

22. Notice the grey square tiles that are the outside layer of the large decorative square. How many of these tiles were needed to make it around the outside?

23. As we were leaving town we went to the coffee shop for a cup of coffee. The small coffee cup holds 8 ounces of liquid. The large coffee cup holds 16 ounces of liquid. How many ounces are held in the medium cup assuming its volume is exactly between the volume of the small cup and the volume of the large cup?

24. On a very serious note: As we were leaving Burlington to head back to Richmond we stopped at this field of flags at UVM. Each flag represents 5000 people who died in the Holocaust. The number of flags for each group is shown on the left side of the board. You do the math!! Sometimes numbers can be very serious!

25. As we make our way home, we find ourselves at the Richmond exit. If we continue past the Richmond exit we will be traveling toward Montpelier. Which direction are we traveling on the Interstate? North or South?