PBS Teachers™

Activity 3: Take A Trip (Grade Range: 9-11)

The Abacus | Tangrams and Fractions | Take A Trip | Career Connections | More Math Concepts

Standard 1: Number and Operation

• Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems
• Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another
• Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates

Standard 9: Connections

• Recognize and use connections among mathematical ideas
• Understand how mathematical ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole
• Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.

Student Activity (PDF File) Answers (PDF File) Student Worksheet #1: Investigating the Japanese Yen (PDF File) Student Worksheet #2: Facts about Japan (PDF File)

You and your family had a foreign exchange student from Japan live with you during your freshman year in high school. You are planning to visit her over an extended spring break. You emailed her and asked her about your estimated expenses for your trip. She has just emailed you back. The only problem is that she answered all of your questions in yen, not in U.S. Dollars. You grab the business section of the newspaper to check the foreign exchange rate for the Japanese Yen. Listed below are the anticipated expenses for your trip. How many U.S. Dollars will you need to exchange for the Japanese Yen? You may plan to use a credit card or an ATM machine in Japan, but you will still need to know the estimated cost of your trip.

Your airline ticket costs $1000 round trip. You will be staying for two weeks. One week you will stay at your friend's parents' home. You will travel for one week. You will be staying in hotels and sightseeing. You will also be eating out. You will need to bring some gifts back for your family.

Here is the information from the email message.
Hotels: Western Style Accommodation 7 nights Double room, Y20,000
Food Each Day (three meals), Y10,000
Transportation, Y5,000
Sightseeing Fees, Y2,100
Gifts, Y15,000

Questions:

1. Since the rates change daily, how could you find the exchange rate for the Japanese Yen to U.S. Dollars?
2. How many Japanese Yen equal a U.S. Dollar?
3. How will you convert the Japanese Yen to U.S. Dollars?

Use Student Worksheet 1, "Investigating the Japanese Yen," to assist in recording the answers.

Student Worksheet 2, "Facts about Japan," will give you an idea about the geography of Japan.