Lifetime Cost of an Appliance

A Web Quest for 9th Grade (Algebra)
Designed by Martha Verlinich


Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?  
Please email me!

Refrigerator
Link site for refrigerator image

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

How exciting!  Your family (group) is getting a new kitchen!  You've hired a designer and a contractor, and they are asking your family to pick the appliances that you would like.  

Task

Your task is to work in groups to determine the best appliance for a given application in your kitchen.  Each group member will evaluate a different appliance (refrigerator, stove, microwave, or dishwasher) for cost, energy efficiency, and color.  Your group can decided on the important criteria for making their decision but the most important factors to consider are the long term cost of each appliance (original cost plus annual energy cost) and color.  Each group member can pick a different brand but should decide on a matching color.  Some web sites that you may consider visiting are Sears.com, Maytag.com and ge.com.  

When your family is finished with evaluating their appliances, then your kitchen will have matching appliances that are evaluated for their lifetime (15 years) cost.  Your group will provide cost sheets showing your recommendations.  

Process

  1. First meet with your group and decide which appliance each person will evaluate.  Your group should also decide on a color.
  2. Look at web sites for Sears, Maytag and General Electric and pick at least one appliance from each manufacturer to evaluate.  You may want to correlate with your group to pick appliances that match.  
  3. Gather data from each model including manufacturer, model, color, initial cost and annual energy consumption.
  4. Evaluate solutions by graphing the data on graph paper.
  5. Meet with your group and decide on the appliances to purchase.

Evaluation

Grades will be based on individual work.  To receive an exemplary score you must also complete the assignment with your group.

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 

Collaboration

 

 Worked with group to determine scope of project and individual appliances.
 Cooperated with group so that an argument for at least one appliance could be given.
 Cooperated with group so that several appliances could be evaluated and chosen.
 Cooperated with group and helped determine optimal brand, took responsibility for appliance chosen.

 

Solution Design

 

 Found at least one appliance with its initial cost and  energy consumption data. . Graphed data from at least one appliance using the formula
y = mx +b.		 Graphed data from two or more appliances using
y = mx + b
and compared their 15 year life span. 		Represent and solve systems of linear equations with two variables using simultaneous equations and by graphing.

 

Persuasion 		Argument for appliance chosen given. An argument regarding cost and energy consumption for one appliance is given. An argument is given regarding comparison of two or more appliances over their 15 year life span. High quality of argument for appliance chosen, which shows organization and sequence.  


Analysis

 

 Found at least one appliance and its energy consumption data.  Graphed data from at least one appliance using the formula
y = mx +b		 Graphed data from two or more appliances using
y = mx + b
and compared their 15 year life span. 		Ability to gather data, graph it and approximate and interpret rates of change in it.

 

 Judgment

 At least one appliance was found. Data from at least one appliance was analyzed. An adequate number (2 or more) of appliances were considered. At least two brands with two appliances each, were considered, with articulation of ranking criteria.

Conclusion

Some day you will need to purchase appliances for your home.  This activity will help you understand how to evaluate appliances to get the best buy.  

Credits & References

Thanks to Mike Charles and Jeff Cooper for all their help and guidance, and for making this 
Web Quest possible.

Back to The Web Quest Page.

Back to the Design Patterns.

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this Web Quest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this Web Quest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.  Thank you.

Last updated on October 7, 2002.  Based on a template from The  Web QuestPage