Socio-Math Problems for San Francisco Students
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1) Zelda and Jane were given a rottweiler at their commitment
ceremony. If their dog needs to be walked two miles a day and they
walk at a rate of 1/2 mile per hour, how much time will they spend
discussing their relationship in public?

2) Michael has two abusive stepfathers and an alcoholic mother. If
his self-esteem is reduced by 20% per dysfunctional parent, but
Michael feels 3% better for every person he denigrates, how long
will it take before he's ready to go home if 1 person walks by the
cafe every 2 minutes?

3) Sanjeev has 7 piercings. If the likelihood of getting cellulitis on a
given day is 10% per piercing, what is the likelihood Sanjeev will
need to renew his erythromycin prescription during the next week?

4) Chad wants to take half a pound of heroin to Orinda and sell it at
a 20% profit. If it originally cost him $1,500 in food stamps, how
much should Nicole write the check for?

5) The City and County of San Francisco decide to destroy 50 rats
infesting downtown. If 9,800 animal rights activists hold a
candlelight vigil, how many people did each dead rat empower?

6) A red sock, a yellow sock, a blue sock, and a white sock are tossed
randomly in a drawer. What is the likelihood that the first two socks
drawn will be socks of color?

7) George weighs 245 pounds and drinks two triple lattes every
morning. If each shot of espresso contains 490mg of caffeine, what
is George's average caffeine density in mg/pound?

8) There are 4500 homes in Mill Valley and all of them recycle
plastic. If each household recycles 10 soda bottles a day and buys
one polar fleece pullover per month, does Mill Valley have a
monthly plastic surplus or deficit? Bonus question: Assuming all
the plastic bottles are 1 liter size, how much Evian are they
drinking?

9) If the average person can eat one pork pot sticker in 30 seconds, and
the waitress brings a platter of 12 pot stickers, how long will it take
five vegans to not eat them?

10) Todd begins walking down Market Street with 12 $1 bills in his wallet.
If he always gives panhandlers a single buck, how many legs did he have to
step over if he has $3 left when he reaches the other end and met only one
double-amputee?

Advanced Placement Students Only
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11) Katie, Trip, Ling, John-John and Effie share a three-bedroom
apartment on Guerrero for $2400 a month. Effie and Trip can share one
bedroom, but the other three need their own rooms with separate ISDN
lines to run their web servers. None of them wants to use the futon in
the living room as a bed, and they each want to save $650 in three
months to attend Burning Man. What is their best option?

a) All five roommates accept a $12/hour job-share as handgun
monitors at Mission High.

b) Ask Miles, the bisexual auto mechanic, to share Effie and Trip's
bedroom for $500/month.

c) Petition the Board of Supervisors to advance Ling her annual
digital-artists-of-color stipend.

d) Rent strike.