Numerical Facts About Independence Day Fireworks Shows

 I find it interesting to read up on facts about certain things.  Since tomorrow is July 4th and July 4th is associated with fireworks show in places throughout the United States, I thought I would take a look at facts containing mathematical facts.

To begin, we do not have fireworks shows in Fairbanks Alaska because the night sky does not get dark enough so they save the fire works for New Years when it is quite dark.

1. Macy's 4th of July celebration uses 55 times as much as the average show. This year, they are due to fire 3000 shells per minute for a 25 minute show.  It takes 60 pyrotechnic people to run the display and each shell is shot 1000 feet in the air.  In addition, there are 1600 lines of code to make sure everything happens in the proper order. The total cost of the show is $6,000,000 but it costs another $50,000 to clean up after the event.

2.  There are an average of 14,000 shows on July 4th.

3.  A short basic show can run between $2,000 and $8,000.  This is one without music, computers, or larger shells.

4. If you want computer coordination, music or larger shells, the show costs about $2,000 per minute or around $20,000 for a full show.

5. Washington, D.C. has the reputation for using the largest number of 6, 8, and 10 inch shells.  The larger the shell, the higher it goes before exploding and you can figure about 100 feet per inch as a rule of thumb so a 6 inch shell explodes at about 600 feet.  In addition, they use 33 tons of fireworks that are exploded over a 33 minute period.

6.  The larger shells can cost up to $336 each.

7.  Fireworks require permits in order to set them off but prices range from free to over $500.  Some companies include the permitting cost as part of the complete package while others charge a separate price.

8.  Fireworks permits often require the company putting on the fireworks show to have anywhere from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 worth of insurance just in case something happens.  This means the group who does the hiring will be charged upwards of $10,000 for their insurance contribution and many locals require extra duty police to be hired. An average figure for extra duty police is $50,000 or more.

Now with all these facts, it is possible to create questions such as how many shells will Macy's use during their July 4th celebration.  Answer is 3000 x 35 = 105,000 shells.

What sized shells is Macy's using in order for the fireworks to explode at 1000 feet?  Answer 10 inch shells.

How much does it cost for shells every minute during the Macy's fireworks?  Answer $336 x 3000 =
$100,800.

The three question are examples to use data from the 8 facts.  There are more possible questions but by asking questions, it helps students read for understanding and to learn to choose the correct data.  It is real life communications.

Let me now what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.