The Rainy Aquarium Trip Budget
The third-year students at a Kagoshima junior high school will visit the Kagoshima Aquarium and a nearby park on a school trip. The schedule is: 8:10 bus leaves school; 9:00–11:00 aquarium; 11:30–12:30 lunch at the park; 1:00–2:30 park activities; 4:30 bus returns to school. The weather forecast says rain will start at 11:00 and become heavy at 2:00. The school says students must bring a lunch, a raincoat, a student ID, and at least 1,000 yen. Aquarium lockers cost 100 yen and are useful for wet raincoats. Park lunch will be moved into the aquarium cafeteria if it rains. Yuki packs a bento, a raincoat, her student ID, and 500 yen. She plans to buy an 800-yen aquarium souvenir before lunch. She also plans to leave her bento on the bus because she wants to eat at the park. She says, 'I don't need a locker because my raincoat is small.'
1. Identify two problems with Yuki's plan and explain how the weather forecast makes each problem worse.
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Reasoning: The school rule requires at least 1,000 yen, but Yuki has 500 yen and also wants an 800-yen souvenir plus a possible 100-yen locker. The forecast changes lunch from the park to the aquarium cafeteria, so leaving the bento on the bus is risky.
Answer: Problem 1: Money. Yuki has 500 yen, below the school minimum of 1,000 yen, and she cannot buy an 800-yen souvenir and pay 100 yen for a locker. Rain makes this worse because a wet raincoat makes a locker more useful. Problem 2: Lunch. Rain starts at 11:00, so the park lunch moves into the aquarium cafeteria. If Yuki leaves her bento on the bus, she may not have it when lunch moves indoors. She should carry it.
2. Revise Yuki's plan so she meets the school rules and stays dry. Give one concrete change and one trade-off.
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Reasoning: The plan must satisfy the 1,000-yen rule, keep the bento accessible, and deal with a wet raincoat. Not every want can be kept.
Answer: Yuki should bring at least 500 more yen so she meets the 1,000-yen rule, carry her bento instead of leaving it on the bus, and use the 100-yen locker for her wet raincoat. Trade-off: she may have to skip the 800-yen souvenir or choose a cheaper one. Staying dry and following the money rule matter more than the souvenir.
3. What should Yuki do with her wet raincoat during the aquarium visit, and why?
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Reasoning: Rain begins at 11:00 and gets heavy at 2:00. A wet raincoat can drip on floors and be uncomfortable to carry. The locker solves this but costs 100 yen, so the money problem must be fixed first.
Answer: She should put the raincoat in a 100-yen locker before entering the aquarium exhibits, after bringing enough money. This keeps the floor and her other belongings dry during the 9:00–11:00 visit and later indoor lunch. If she refuses the locker, she should at least carry a plastic bag for the wet raincoat, but the locker is the cleaner choice.