We used to tease my friend’s dad who would drive to the next town for cheaper gas, was he really saving money or just breaking even because of the extra driving? In this assignment, we will present a potential money-saving scenario and you will figure out if it’s worth the drive.
Party Planning (AKA: Making a Good Argument With Facts)
You need to buy 12 pounds of chicken for a barbecue party you are planning. You found an ad showing that the store across town has it on sale for $4.69 a pound. This is cheaper than your usual neighborhood store, which sells it for $5.99 a pound.
Is it worth the extra drive?
What You’ll Do
In this assignment, you will gather up some facts to make a decision that will hopefully help you save some money. Include the following components in your paper. The main goal of this assignment is for you to develop a compelling argument one way or another that is based on facts.
- A list of all the information you need to know to develop your argument. Read the question carefully to determine what you need to look up. Please cite your sources, even if it’s just Google maps.
- Calculations related to the list you made: labeled with correct units, you must show all steps in your calculations.
- Your decision whether it is worth the extra drive and your reasoning for making that decision. Consider all the variables as you make your decision, a compelling argument based on facts is the goal of this assignment. There is no right or wrong answer, only good arguments with supporting facts.
Grading Criteria:
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Define unknowns | All unknowns needed to answer the question are included with units properly labeled, and source for data cited. | All or most unknowns included, some units or citation missing | Some unknowns included, not all units included, not all citations present | 1 or fewer unknowns identified |
| Perform calculations | All relevant calculations performed with correct units and work shown | Calculations performed correctly, no units, or small errors, some work shown | Some calculations missing, incorrect units, no work shown | Missing calculations, no work shown, no units |
| Completeness | Parts of the answer are identified clearly with all relevant facts included, final decision and logic are stated clearly with supporting facts. | All or most parts are answered clearly, most relevant facts included, final decision and logic stated, facts may be missing. | Some parts completely missing, unsupported facts, unknown procedure for obtaining result. | No facts included, no supporting calculations for decision, or elements of the solution are completely missing. |
Download the assignment from one of the links below (.docx or .rtf):