few_shots: 
Example 1:
Concept/skill: 
Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.

Problem/activity:
You’re mixing ingredients for cookies. The recipe says to combine 6 tablespoons, or ¾ stick, of butter with 1 cup of sugar. You accidentally mix in a whole stick of butter (8 tablespoons) with the cup of sugar. How can you fix this?


Answer: 
Yes. This problem solves a real-world problem involving mixing ingredients for cookies. A student doing this problem would need to reason about equivalent ratios of butter amounts to sugar amounts.

Example 2:
Concept/skill: 
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.

Problem/activity:
For each pair of numbers, determine if the values are equivalent. Explain your reasoning for each one.
a.
$$-0.25$$
and
$$\frac{1}{-4}$$
b.
$$-\left ( \frac{1}{4} \right )$$
and
$$\frac{-1}{-4}$$
c.
$$\frac{-1}{4}$$
and
$$-\frac{1}{4}$$


Answer: 
Yes. This problem involves understanding fractions and division to divide rational numbers, such as 1, -4, 4, and -1. This problem also involves an understanding of multiplication: if p and q are integers, then -(p/q) = (-p)/q = p/(-q).

Example 3:
Concept/skill: 
Prove that, given a system of two equations in two variables, replacing one equation by the sum of that equation and a multiple of the other produces a system with the same solutions.

Problem/activity:
Problem 1
The table below contains single equations in a single variable, single equations in two variables, and pairs of simultaneous equations in two variables. Check the appropriate box to show whether there is no solution, exactly 1 solution, or if there is an infinite number of solutions.
|                                                          | **           No solution          ** | **           Exactly 1 solution          ** | **           Infinite number of solutions          ** |
|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|                       $${9=4x+7}$$                       |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                       $${y=3y+5}$$                       |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                    $${y={x\over2}}$$                     |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|                     $${3x+6y-9=0}$$                      |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
|    $${x=y}$$                        $${1.25x=1.25y}$$    |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
| $${9.9=6x+8y}$$                        $${9x=2.5y-8.8}$$ |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
| $${11x-2y=1.5}$$                        $${11x-2y=2.5}$$ |                                      |                                             |                                                       |
Problem 2
Kim has a small container and a large container as shown.
[IMG]
It takes 16 of the small containers to fill the large container. Three small containers leave 1.95 gallons of space in the big container.
What is the size of each of the two containers?


Answer: 
No. Completing neither of these problems requires replacing one equation by the sum of that equation and a multiple of the other equation.

Now, determine whether the following problem or activity can enable students to understand the concepts or skills in the provided description.

shot_info: fl_problem_000972_pos_0

6

fl_problem_001097_pos_0

7

fl_problem_001392_neg_0

8
standard_description: Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of variation describes how its values vary with a single number.
problem_activity: Task
Unlike many elections for public office where a person is elected strictly based on the results of a popular vote (i.e., the candidate who earns the most votes in the election wins), in the United States, the election for President of the United States is determined by a process called the Electoral College.  According to the National Archives, the process was established in the United States Constitution "as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens." (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html accessed September 4, 2012).
Each state receives an allocation of electoral votes in the process, and this allocation is determined by the number of members in the state's delegation to the US Congress.  This number is the sum of the number of US Senators that represent the state (always 2, per the Constitution) and the number of Representatives that represent the state in the US House of Representatives (a number that is directly related to the state's population of qualified citizens as determined by the US Census). Therefore the larger a state's population of qualified citizens, the more electoral votes it has.  Note: the District of Columbia (which is not a state) is granted 3 electoral votes in the process through the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution.
The following table shows the allocation of electoral votes for each state and the District of Columbia for the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections. (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/allocation.html accessed September 4, 2012).
[IMG]
Which state has the most electoral votes?  How many votes does it have?
Based on the given information, which state has the second highest population of qualified citizens?
Here is a dotplot of the distribution.
[IMG]
What is the shape of this distribution: skewed left, symmetric, or skewed right?
Imagine that someone you are speaking with is unfamiliar with these shape terms. Describe clearly and in the context of this data set what the shape description you have chosen means in terms of the distribution.
Does the dotplot lead you to think that any states are outliers in terms of their number of electoral votes? Explain your reasoning, and if you do believe that there are outlier values, identify the corresponding states.
What measure of center (mean or median) would you recommend for describing this data set? Why did you choose this measure?
Determine the value of the median for this data set (electoral votes).


aligns: no