Word Problems for the New California Math Curriculum

The current draft of the new California Mathematics Framework emphasizes the importance of word problems which maintain and reproduce equitable structures and represent real-life uses of mathematics. Seeing that previously available mathematics textbooks entirely exclude the lived experiences of marginalized people and do not address the daily needs of Californians, I humbly submit the following word problems for consideration. 

Word problems! My favorite!

1. During their 5-year-old child Ostrich's gender reveal party, Theo, Lennie and Dash light an out of control fire. If 50 folx attended, 12% are killed, 34% are non-fatally injured, and 54% escape, how many Hallmark cards will the throuple have to send?

2. Lori weighs herself on several different scales, with different units, including lbs, kgs, stones, and carats. Discuss how dimensional quantities allow people of size to take control of their identities and effect change in the world. 

3. 20 undocumented prospective residents are riding in a pickup truck driven by an unlicensed migration entrepreneur. Assuming a 1:3 ratio of immigrants to pigs, how many ICE agents will the truck have to evade?

4. Olaf Mayasof is seeking mathematical self-expression by comparing the areas of circles and squares. Assuming pi is 5, what is the radius of the circle he must draw to have the same area as a 6 inch square?

5. Carlos Fidel Ayala-Tezcatlipoca orders a vegetable-based burger from their favorite vegan establishment. How does the utility cost-benefit analysis of plant-based meats compare to the subjective experience of participation in a capitalist system of exploitation? 

6. A heterosexual married pair-bond with 2.5 children host a birth anniversary festivity, and mail out colored invitations. 60% are blue, 40% are pink, and no other colors are represented. Who is silenced by the hegemonic structure of hetero-cissexism evident at the festivities?

7. Aaron is studying mathematics-of-the-sort-traditionally-defined-as-higher, and encounters the concept of 'perverse sheaves'. How does the categorization of mathematical structures as 'perverse' and 'non-perverse' represent patriarchal thinking at the intersection of homologies?

8. California experiences rolling blackouts on average once every three days, with a standard deviation of 1.5 days. What is the probability there will be a recall election?

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