Solving simultaneous equations

What's included?

PowerPoint

Key Stage

KS3, KS4

Age

Years 7-11

Subjects

Dive into the world of algebra with this engaging and interactive fast-food-themed PowerPoint, designed to help students practice solving simultaneous equations.

In this activity, students will determine the cost of individual items on a McDonald’s menu based on various orders placed by different pairs of friends.

The PowerPoint combines fun with education, ensuring that students are “lovin’ it” as they develop their algebraic skills.

The scenario

Imagine several pairs of friends heading to McDonald’s for a meal, only to find that the price list has vanished.

Each pair of friends orders various items, but without the price list, they can’t figure out how much each item costs.

This is where your algebraic skills come into play. The challenge is to help these friends calculate the cost of each menu item so they can accurately determine their bills.

Complicating matters, each pair of friends always seems to underestimate their hunger, requiring them to place a second order.

This adds another layer of complexity to the problem and provides an excellent opportunity to practice solving simultaneous equations. Your task is to use the information from both orders to find the prices of the individual items.

To tackle these problems, students will set up and solve simultaneous equations based on the orders placed. Each scenario provides two equations with two variables, representing the cost of the different food items.

Example question

Consider this example: Alice and Ben both order a burger and fries. The total cost of their first order is £6.60. Later, Alice orders fries again, while Ben orders two burgers and two fries. This second order costs £7.80.

Setting out and solving these equations simultaneously will give the students the values of one burger and one packet of fries.

This PowerPoint activity is not only a great way to reinforce algebra skills but also adds a real-world application, making learning more relatable and enjoyable. So, grab your algebra tools and get ready to solve some tasty maths problems!

Andy Lutwyche creates maths resources. Find more in his TES shop. You can also follow him on Twitter at @andylutwyche. Browse more simultaneous equations questions.