Idaho
Society of Professional Engineers
PO Box 170239, Boise, ID 83717-0239 208-426-0636 Fax: 208-426-0639 E-Mail: ispe@idahospe.org
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PO Box 170239, Boise, ID 83717-0239 208-426-0636 Fax: 208-426-0639 E-Mail: ispe@idahospe.org |
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Idaho Society of Professional Engineers
• May 11, 2007 – National MATHCOUNTS Competition – Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas
• May 11, 2007 – ISPE Southwest Chapter Spring Fundraiser Golf Tournament - 4-Person Scramble - 1:00 PM - Purple Sage Golf Course • May 15, 2007 - ISPE Southwest Chapter Noon Meeting – 12:00 Noon – Washington Group International – Training Room • May 18, 2007 - ISPE Northern Chapter - “A Seminar on Professionalism” Friday, May 18, 2007 - 1:30 pm - Post Falls Public Library, 821 North Spokane Street, Post Falls. • July 26 – 29, 2007 – NSPE 2007 Annual Conference – Denver, Colorado
ETHICS SEARCH ENGINE FOR MEMBERS
In an age when technology and business are merging as never before, today’s engineers need skills matched with the times. Success as an engineer is not only determined by technical skills, but also by an ability to communicate with co-workers, sell ideas, and manage time. This book covers those non–technical skills needed by today’s entrepreneurial engineers who mix strong technical know-how, business and organizational prowess, and an alert eye for opportunity.
MATHCOUNTS PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
Mother’s Day
Anna asked six of her friends for the age in years of their mothers.
What is the positive difference between their mean and median age? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bernt takes his mother to a restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch. They can select as much food as they want from the buffet for a cost of $15.00 each or they can order from the ala carte menu and pay for each item separately.
Bernt orders the buffet and his mother orders one of each item from the ala carte menu. There is a 6% sales tax and a 15% service fee, both of which are based solely on the price of the food. What is the amount of the total bill including the tax and service fee? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tasha is making 5 flower pots for her mother for Mother’s Day. Each flower pot is a cylindrical can that has a diameter of 7 inches and a height of 8 inches. She fills each flower pot 3/4 full with potting soil. What is the total number of cubic inches of potting soil she needs for the 5 flower pots? Express your answer to the nearest whole number. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard is making a rectangular poster for his mother for Mother’s Day. The poster is in proportion to a rectangular 3-inch by 5-inch card that has the words “MOM, I LOVE YOU” written in letters that are 0.5 inches tall. The shortest side of the poster is 3 feet. What is the height in inches of each of the letters on the poster?
Answer to last week’s MATHCOUNTS problem: The price increased from 10 cents to 41 cents. The percent increase is ((41 cents – 10cents) ÷ 10 cents) × 100% = 310%. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a compound interest problem of the form A ≤ P(1 + r)t, where A = amount in the investment, P = principle investment, r = investment rate, and t = time in years. The initial cost of 1000 Forever 10 cent stamps on May 14, 1975 is 1000 × $.10 = $100. The value of the 1000 Forever stamps, 32 years later, on May 14, 2007 is 1000 × $.41 (the cost of the one-ounce, single-piece of First-Class Mail) = $410. Substituting in the formula we have 410 ≤ 100 (1 + r)32 . Solving for r, r ≥ 0.0450799. Therefore an interest rate of 4.5% would not be high enough, but an interest rate of 4.6% would be high enough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The average annual increase in the United States Postal Rate is the slope of the line that passes through the points for the Postage Rate in 1975 and 2007. Let x = 0 represent the year 1975 and x= 32 represent the year 2007. The Postage rates can be represented by the points (0,10) and (32,41) on an (x,y) coordinate plane. The slope of the line is the change in cost relative to the change in years. (41 – 10) ÷ (32 – 0) = 0.96875 cents per year. To the nearest tenth the annual average increase in cents in the Postal Rate over this time span has been 1.0 cents per year.
Another solution strategy is to use the equation 10 cents + 32x = 41 cents. Since the linear relationship tells us the increase every year, x, is the same and there are 32 of them. Solving for x, we get x = 0.96875 cents or 1.0 cents per year, to the nearest tenth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He will save 44 – 41 = 3 cents per stamp. The percent savings is (3 ÷ 41) × 100% = 7.3%.
If you want to see last week's problem again, click http://www.mathcounts.org/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=1016&z=110
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National Engineers Week - Future City Competition
Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors
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