Paris Olympics and AI create quick and easy way to make 'real-world' math problems

When Team USA competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics, they did much more than win a record number of medals – their performance also paved the way for educators to create new and exciting “real-world” math problems for students to solve.

Historically, creating Olympic math problems might have required a great deal of time. But in the age of AI, there’s no need for educators to spend countless hours poring over Olympic stats and racking their brains to come up with interesting questions. Today, AI tools can create math problems instantaneously on demand.

That’s what Sneaker Theory had in mind when we asked ChatGPT to produce seven math problems based on this article that breaks down how Team USA won gold in the Women’s 4x100m Relay.

“Here are 7 math problems inspired by the article,” ChatGPT told Sneaker Theory.

Time Difference Calculation: The U.S. women's 4x100m relay team finished the race in 41.78 seconds. If Great Britain finished in 41.85 seconds and Germany in 41.97 seconds, by how many seconds did the U.S. beat Great Britain and Germany?

Speed of Sha'Carri Richardson: If Sha'Carri Richardson ran the final 100 meters in 10.5 seconds, what was her average speed in meters per second?

Olympic Record Comparison: The U.S. women's team won their 12th gold medal in the 4x100m relay. If the rest of the world combined has 11 gold medals, what is the ratio of U.S. gold medals to the rest of the world's gold medals in this event?

Medal Count: Gabby Thomas now has 4 Olympic medals: 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. If Sha'Carri Richardson has 2 Olympic medals (1 gold and 1 silver), and Melissa Jefferson has 2 Olympic medals (1 gold and 1 bronze), what is the total number of Olympic medals won by these three athletes?

Relay Handoff Time: The article mentions "shaky handoffs" during the relay. If each handoff takes approximately 0.3 seconds and there are three handoffs during the race, how much time did the team spend exchanging the baton?

Distance Covered by Each Runner: In the 4x100m relay, each runner covers 100 meters. If the team ran the relay in 41.78 seconds, what was the average time each runner took to cover their 100-meter leg?

Relay Team Chemistry: Terry, Jefferson, and Richardson are training partners at their club in Clermont, Florida. If each of the three training partners practices five days a week and each session lasts two hours, how many total hours do the three athletes train together in a week?

“These problems blend race data with real-world calculations and are suitable for various levels of math practice,” ChatGPT told Sneaker Theory.

Educators can easily feed ChatGPT news articles about Team USA’s performance in the Paris Olympics and ask the AI tool to create any number of math problems. Based on the wide variety of sports in which Team USA took home medals – from basketball and rugby to swimming and gymnastics – the possibilities are endless.

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To reach Sneaker Theory founder Jamaal Abdul-Alim, write to PROFESSORJ at sneaker theory dot org.