Teaching article
Three items at one price: make the receipt line explicit
Distinguish an item's unit price from the cost of several identical items.
A receipt can show one unit price beside a quantity greater than one. Before adding different lines, work out what that repeated quantity costs so the total reflects the order actually placed.
Three pretend items priced at $2 each have a $6 line total.
Separate unit price from line total
Identify quantity and unit price. Calculate the line total. Add the separate line totals.
Calculate each line before combining the order. Multiplying a unit price by quantity prevents repeated items being accidentally counted just once.
Which calculation explains the line total? Begin with identical whole-dollar prices.
Quantity and price need separate labels.
Resources
- Receipt Detective – Australian Money Worksheet — Check the order, quantities and arithmetic in the fictional receipt.
Further reading
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