Real-Life Math
Math is an essential part of what a pool and spa operator does.
"You have to be good at math to do this job," says Fern Boldt, who works with
a pool company. "If your water needs adjusting, you need to be able to figure
out exactly how much of whatever chemical you need to throw in there. If you
get it wrong, it could be a big mess."
Give this math exercise a try
to see if you've got what it takes to be a part of the pool and spa industry.
Before
you pull out of the parking lot, you check your list of cleaning duties for
the evening. You have 2 quick calls to make before you can go home for supper.
Your
first stop is the Thompson house. They have a round pool in their backyard
with thick, dark-green algae floating on the surface. It needs a super chlorinating
treatment to bring it back to condition.
Figure out the volume of the
pool in gallons and then figure out how much chlorine you will have to add
to clear up the algae problem.
This is the equation you will need to
figure out how much water is in the Thompson family's pool:
Volume
of a round pool = area x average depth
Area = radius x radius x 3.14
Average
depth = 5 ft
Radius = 6.5 ft
You also
need to know that 1 gallon equals 231 cubic inches and 1 cubic foot equals
1,728 cubic inches.
To super chlorinate, you need to use 1 gallon of
liquid chlorine per 10,000 gallons of pool water.
You drive off satisfied
that you have cared for the Thompsons' pool. But did you figure
it out right?