Cost - Benefit Analysis

Often when a decision that will affect lots of people needs to be made (greasy small burger/delicious steak with fresh peas), those who will make the decision do a cost - benefit analysis. What would the extra cost be of serving some of the delicious dishes that were suggested? For example, what might it cost to set up a seafood buffet? We could start by figuring the cost per student of a certain amount of seafood, but that might not give us accurate figures. Sometimes students go for bigger portions of food that they love, especially if they only get to have it occasionally. So the costs of providing a seafood buffet to middle school and high school students could be exorbitant.
What would the benefit be? The students might really enjoy the buffet, but what is the real benefit to a school of having students enjoy their lunch? Do happy students work any harder? Do they behave impeccably? Do they even tell their parents how wonderful lunch was?

It seems possible that the school doesn't care whether students like lunch - the school just needs to make sure that the students have an opportunity to eat a certain amount of nutritious food. Beyond that, any extra cost incurred doesn't result in any benefit, so it would be a waste of precious money. Is this a fair way to look at things?

Predictable?

Last week, The Washington Huskies beat Idaho to end a losing streak that extended back into last season. This week the Huskies knocked off the perennial power USC Trojans. The Huskies were unranked and 1-1. The Trojans were 2-0 and coming off of a huge win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. USC has better recruits every year and a very successful program. Why was this result somewhat predictable?

Making predictions

Observing patterns can help us make predictions. What patterns in your day at school have you observed? What characteristics do your teachers have that make them predictable?

Tom Terrific

When you are young and extremely talented, it can be difficult to receive criticism. In twenty to thirty words, describe the lesson that Gil Hodges tried to pass on to Tom Seaver. How might somebody with less character than Tom have reacted?

In a perfect world . . .

In twenty to thirty words, describe what you wish the cafeteria would serve for lunch. Why would this be the best meal?

A picture is worth a bunch of words

In twenty to thirty words, describe the action in the picture. Michigan's #45 is Obi Ezeh, and the quarterback for Western Michigan is Tim Hiller. For the best possible score, describe the action from the point of view of somebody in the picture.