Real-Life Math
Being an antique dealer requires knowledge in all fields, and math
is one of them. Pieces of art, furniture and precious jewelry are being auctioned
off at halls. Knowledgeable competitors from your field are armed to fight
for a deal.
You firmly grasp onto your auction number in one hand while
forming a tight fist to relieve anxiety, frustration and excitement with the
other. So where is the hand to hold your calculator?
According to antique
dealer William Leigh Carnegie, the most powerful calculator is the human brain.
"Everyday math is used in our business. Most transactions or inventory work
is done in our heads and is handwritten."
You're exhausted, but you
have finally accomplished your one-week mission of attending various auctions
around the world. You have helped your boss claim some very precious pieces.
Your boss wants you to come back with a total, in American dollars, of all
the purchases you made at the auctions. You take out your stacks of receipts
and start sorting them according to the different countries. Then you grab
the newspaper and find out the current exchange rates.
After finding
out all the exchange rates, you convert each of the purchases into American
dollars by dividing the price by the exchange rate.
| Country of Purchase | Item | Price | Exchange Rates |
| Switzerland | Mozart's diary | 2,415,000 francs | $1 US = 1.32 francs |
| France | Vincent van Gogh painting | 600,000 euro | $1 US = 0.86 euro |
| U.K. | Michelangelo painting | 980,000 pounds | $1 US = 0.6 pounds |
| Sweden | Figurine | 3,773,000 krona | $1 US = 7.74 krona |