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Money Calculations

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For teachers: ready-to-use lesson slides, revision notes, diagrams for Money Calculations (Maths [CIE], Core) — use them in your lesson, or run the topic as a live class game.

Notes

Currencies and Notation

  • Common currencies: US Dollars ($), Pounds (£), Euros (€).
  • Always write money to **two decimal places** (e.g., £1.40, $5.00).
  • For large amounts, rounding to nearest pound/dollar may be appropriate.
  • Check the currency used in the question and match it in your answer.

Basic Operations with Money

  • **Total** or **sum** means add amounts.
  • **Difference** or **increase/decrease** involves subtraction.
  • **Exchange rates** require multiplication or division.
  • Read keywords carefully to decide the operation.

Calculating Total Cost

  • Multiply quantity by unit price to find cost of items.
  • Add all individual costs to get the total.
  • Example: 3 tins at $15.95 each = $47.85; add other items for total.
  • Always write down intermediate steps to avoid errors.

Calculating Change

  • Change = amount paid − total cost.
  • Subtract the total from the note/coin given.
  • Example: $10 − $6.80 = $3.20 change.
  • Ensure the answer is in the correct currency and decimal places.

Deals and Discounts

  • **'Buy 3 get 1 free'** or **'4 for price of 3'** reduce cost per item.
  • Calculate total cost after deal, then divide by number of people.
  • Example: 12 burgers, deal 4 for price of 3 → pay for 9 burgers.
  • Work out the price each person pays from the reduced total.

Profit and Percentage

  • **Profit** = selling price − cost price.
  • **Percentage profit** =(profit/cost)×100%= (profit / cost) \times 100\%.
  • To find selling price with profit: cost ×(1+profit%)\times (1 + profit\%).
  • Example: cost $1.50, 60% profit → selling price = $1.50 ×1.60=\times 1.60 = $2.40.

Wages and Hourly Pay

  • Total pay=pay = hours worked × hourly rate.
  • **Overtime** often paid at 1.5 times (time‑and‑a‑half) the usual rate.
  • Add regular pay and overtime pay for total earnings.
  • Example: 34 h at $8.25/h + 8 h at $12.375/h = $379.50.

Best Value Comparisons

  • Find **unit cost** (price per kg, per litre, etc.) to compare sizes.
  • The smallest unit cost gives the best value.
  • Show working: divide price by quantity for each option.
  • Example: 20L bag $10 → $0.50/L; 40L bag $18 → $0.45/L → 40L is better.

Rounding and Accuracy

  • Keep all decimal places during calculations; round only the final answer.
  • For money, round to **two decimal places** unless context says otherwise.
  • If a price is given to more than 2 d.p. (e.g., £1.579), use it fully in working.
  • Final answer: e.g., £119.455 → £119.46.

Common Question Types

  • **Shopping bills**: complete missing costs and find total.
  • **Change from a note**: subtract total from note value.
  • **Deposit and instalments**: subtract deposit, divide remainder by number of payments.
  • **Percentage of tickets sold**: (sold/total)×100%(sold / total) \times 100\%.

Calculating Total Cost and Change

Total Cost & ChangeItem 1: 3 × $15.95 = $47.85Item 2: 2 × $7.50 = $15.00Item 3: 1 × $2.90 = $2.90Total = $65.75Paid $100 → Change $34.25Add all costs, then subtract from amount given.

Deal: 4 for Price of 3

Deal: 4 for Price of 3BurgerBurgerBurgerFreePay for 3, get 1 free.12 burgers → 3 groups of 4 → pay for 9.Cost = 9 × £4.79 = £43.11Each person pays £43.11 ÷ 12 = £3.59

Profit Calculation

Profit CalculationCost Price: $1.50Selling Price: $2.40Profit = $2.40 − $1.50 = $0.90% Profit = (0.90 / 1.50) × 100% = 60%Or: Selling Price = Cost × (1 + 60%)= $1.50 × 1.60 = $2.40

Parking Cost Calculation

Parking Cost CalculationFrom 10:00 Tue 17 Jul to 17:00 Sat 28 JulCount full days (part days count as full):Weekdays (Mon-Fri): 9 daysWeekend days: 2 daysCost = (9 × $14) + (2 × $8) = $126 + $16 = $142Total parking cost: $142

Practice questions

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  1. 1.A car costs $18160. A deposit of $6460 is paid, and the rest in 24 equal monthly payments. What is each monthly payment?

    Easy
    • A$487.50
    • B$756.67
    • C$1170.00
    • D$757.50
  2. 2.Henry buys 3 tins of paint at $15.95 each, 2 brushes at $7.50 each, and 1 roll of tape at $2.90. What is the total cost?

    Easy
    • A$65.75
    • B$63.25
    • C$62.35
    • D$66.85
  3. 3.Sue has one tea ($2.35) and one cake ($4.45). How much does she pay?

    Easy
    • A$6.80
    • B$6.70
    • C$7.80
    • D$6.90
  4. 4.Derrick has one coffee ($3.40) and two biscuits ($0.85 each). How much change from a $10 note?

    Easy
    • A$4.90
    • B$5.10
    • C$5.90
    • D$4.10
  5. 5.Jodi swims 22 lengths and receives $15 per length. How much money does she raise?

    Easy
    • A$330
    • B$37
    • C$300
    • D$350
  6. 6.You buy one portion of chicken wings (£5.49) and one water (£1.50). How much change from a £10 note?

    Medium
    • A£3.01
    • B£2.99
    • C£3.99
    • D£2.01
  7. 7.A bill: 2.5 kg potatoes at $1.12 per kg, and some bananas at $1.05 per kg. Total is $4.69. How many kg of bananas?

    Medium
    • A1.8 kg
    • B2.0 kg
    • C1.5 kg
    • D2.2 kg
  8. 8.Rangan buys 3.6 kg potatoes and 2.8 kg leeks. Total cost $13.72. Leeks cost $2.65 per kg. Find cost of 1 kg potatoes.

    Hard
    • A$1.40
    • B$1.20
    • C$1.60
    • D$1.50

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