Grade: Senior
Subject: Computer

#2566. Cars

Computer, level: Senior
Posted Sun Apr 28 20:56:05 PDT 2002 by Sara Clark (NalaSara@softcom.net).
Student, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV USA
Materials Required: Computers with database and spreadsheet software
Activity Time: 3-4 Days
Concepts Taught: Databases and Spreadsheets

Unit Description:

The first big purchase a young person is going to make is usually a vehicle. In this Unit, students will create a database of cars, which they will make up, using criteria given to them. They will then be given certain data and they will find a car that matches this criterion. Using a spreadsheet they will make an amortization table with the information they have.


Objectives:
·Students will be able to create a database using given criteria. They will then be able to search a larger database and find a particular record.
·Students will use the PMT function to figure out what their payment will be. They will then take that payment and make an amortization table of a loan for the car. They will be able to see how much of a payment goes to interest and how much to principle.

Sequence of events:

Day 1:
1.Start a classroom discussion about cars and how we would go about finding a car we would want to purchase. Discuss what is involved and the responsibilities that go with ownership.
2.The class will be instructed to makeup five different cars using the make, model, year, color, price, and used or new. (When listing the color, they will be given a list of which ones they can use.
3.The class will create a database of the five cars that they have made up.
4.The fields will be in the following order: make, model, year, color, price, new/used, and source.
5.After creating this database, students will input the information from the five cars they have made up.
6.When done, students will save the file as Cars.TheirName.
7.This file will then be uploaded to the teacher.


Day 2:
1.Using a complied database from all the students, the teacher will select criteria that will match at least one car within the database.
2.Students will choose out of a "hat", what the criteria for their car is going to be.
3.They will open the class file, which will be named Cars, in a read-only format.
4.A search will be done in the database to search for cars that meet the criteria students are given.
5.They will choose a car from the database that meets their criteria. They will write down the information in the database about that vehicle. They will need to keep this information for the final assignments.

Day 3:
1.The teacher will show the students how they can find out what a payment on a loan will be using the PMT function.
2.An example amortization table will be created so that student can see how to make one.
3.Student will then be divided into three sections and each section will be given an interest rate.
4.Students will use this interest rate and the information they wrote down from the database (which will have the price) to figure out what their payment would be. Each loan will be based on a five years.
5.They will then use their payment to make an amortization table for the life of their loan.
6.Student will be reminded to use the copy and paste functions to make their amortization table.


Project Requirements:

The students are required to complete the following:
1. A database of five cars.
2. A spreadsheet with the payment calculated for the loan on the car that they have selected. And an amortization table for that loan.


Evaluation: This will be based upon the completion of the above assignment. Each individual teacher can decide on what kind of accurateness they want.