Math City · Lesson 2
Build Your City
The contract is signed: house 10,000 people for $125,000 — with enough fire stations, schools, and parks to keep them safe and happy. Every choice is math.
📜 Your contract
Last lesson you learned that in the simple model, every building cost the same per person. Real cities aren't like that — towers share elevators and land, cottages don't — so now each building has its own price tag. Spend wisely:
- 🎯 Population: at least 10,000 residents
- 💰 Budget: $125,000 total — housing AND services
- 🚒🏫🌳 Services: enough fire stations, schools, and parks for your population
The Builder 🏙️
Use + and − to build. Watch your skyline grow — and your budget shrink.
Housing
Services (the city tells you how many you need)
The Planner's Division Secret ➗
Notice how the city calculates services: 9,000 people ÷ 4,000 per fire station = 2.25… but you can't build a quarter of a fire station! Planners always round UP — it's called the ceiling.
A town has 9,000 people. Each school serves 3,500. How many schools must they build?
The Value Check 💰
Divide each building's cost by the people it houses:
| Building | Cost | People | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏙️ Mega Tower | $18,000 | 2,500 | $______ |
| 🏢 Apartment Block | $5,500 | 600 | $______ |
| 🏠 Cottage Row | $1,200 | 100 | $______ |
Which housing gives the most people per dollar?
🏆 Your XP Progress
- ○ Completed a legal city (pop + budget + services) +12 XP
- ○ Mastered ceiling division +6 XP
- ○ Passed the value check +7 XP
Total XP earned: 0 / 25
🖨️ Plan it on paper
Download the City Ledger — the same challenge as a paper worksheet: catalog, ledger table, service math, and totals.
🧭 Keep Going
🏆 Complete This Lesson!
City standing? Mark this lesson complete to track your progress.