Real-Life Math
There will always be times when numbers are going to come in handy.
You're heading up the latest theatrical production of Five Angry Factory Workers. It should be quite a spectacle. Right now, you're in the middle of planning the layout of the set -- where the props will be, how the actors will stand, where they will walk, and so on. One thing you can't get off of your mind is Bertha.
Bertha is a 2,000-pound elephant from India. She's going to play a huge role in Five Angry Factory Workers. There's one problem, though. She's an elephant. That's a heck of a lot of pounds!
Bertha will be appearing in a scene with 3 other actors. Three people, an elephant and everything else on the stage is a lot of weight. Check out the particulars:
Item | Weight in Pounds |
Props | 950 |
Sound/lighting equipment | 900 |
Actors | 650 |
Bertha | 2,000 |
"I admit that math isn't the biggest thing I think about in my work," says stage director Kasper Holten. "Yet I still need to know how to do those basic things with numbers. The math really comes up in the early planning stages of putting together a show, in all the logistical questions that arise. Of course, math skill is always a useful thing to have."
This particular night, your group is performing in Canada. The theater owner tells you that the stage can bear 2,500 kilograms (kg). Will it hold up under the combined weight of the actors, the equipment, the props and Bertha? Remember that 1 pound is equal to 0.454 kg.