Instructions

Welcome to the film set of Jaws! You are a new trainee, and your math skills are about to be put to the test. The director needs clever problem-solvers in every department to make this movie a terrifying success. Work through the tasks for each department below to prove you have what it takes. You'll need a pencil and some scrap paper. Good luck!

Camera Department

The camera captures every moment of the action. Film is measured in "frames per second" (fps). Standard film speed is 24 fps, meaning 24 still pictures are taken every second to create the illusion of movement.

1. The terrifying opening scene is exactly 4 minutes and 15 seconds long. How many individual frames of film will be used to shoot this entire scene?
2. The director, Steven Spielberg, wants a very quick shot of the shark's fin cutting through the water. The shot needs to be exactly 1/6th of a second long. How many frames will that shot be?

Costume Department

The costumes help tell the story. The characters on Amity Island need to look like real, everyday people. Your job is to help prepare the clothing.

1. Quint, the shark hunter, wears a worn-out jacket. To make a new jacket look old, you need to soak it in a special solution. The recipe calls for 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar solution. If you use 1.2 litres of vinegar solution, how much water will you need?
2. The department bought a bulk order of 80 plain t-shirts for the beach extras. 30% of them need to be dyed blue, 25% need to be dyed red, and the rest will be left white. How many white t-shirts will there be?

Props Department

The props department is in charge of every object an actor touches, from Quint's harpoon gun to the yellow barrels the shark pulls underwater. The most important prop is the shark's tooth.

1. An expert tells you a real great white shark's tooth is about 6 cm long. The director wants a giant, "movie-sized" tooth for a close-up shot that is scaled up by a ratio of 3:1. How long will your prop tooth need to be?
2. You are making the famous yellow barrels. A real barrel has a volume of about 200 litres. The miniature barrels for the special effects shots need to have a volume that is 1/40th of a real barrel. What is the volume of one miniature barrel?

Sound Department

The sound team creates the movie's atmosphere, from the sound of crashing waves to the iconic, suspenseful music. Timing is everything.

1. The famous "da-dum" shark theme is made of two notes. The first note ("da") lasts 0.8 seconds. The second note ("dum") is 25% shorter than the first. How long does the "dum" note last?
2. Using your answer from the previous question, calculate the total time it takes to hear one full "da-dum" sequence if the composer, John Williams, puts a 0.5-second pause between the two notes.

Visual Effects Department

Your team is responsible for the star of the show: the 25-foot mechanical shark, nicknamed "Bruce." Making its movements look realistic requires precise calculations.

1. Bruce's jaw is designed to open to a maximum angle of 50 degrees. For a scary "lunge" effect, the jaw needs to open 70% of its maximum angle in just 2 seconds. What angle does the jaw open to for the lunge effect?
2. For the jaw to move the angle you calculated in the question above (the lunge effect) in 2 seconds, what is its average speed of rotation in degrees per second?

Answer Key

Camera Department

1. 4 minutes = 240 seconds. 240 + 15 = 255 seconds.
   255 seconds × 24 fps = 6,120 frames.
2. 24 fps ÷ 6 = 4 frames.

Costume Department

1. The ratio is 4:1. For every 1 part vinegar, you need 4 parts water.
   1.2 litres × 4 = 4.8 litres of water.
2. 30% + 25% = 55% are dyed. 100% - 55% = 45% are left white.
   80 t-shirts × 0.45 = 36 white t-shirts.

Props Department

1. The ratio is 3:1, meaning 3 times larger.
   6 cm × 3 = 18 cm.
2. 200 litres ÷ 40 = 5 litres.

Sound Department

1. 25% of 0.8 is 0.8 × 0.25 = 0.2 seconds. The note is 0.2 seconds shorter.
   0.8 - 0.2 = 0.6 seconds.
2. 0.8 seconds (da) + 0.5 seconds (pause) + 0.6 seconds (dum) = 1.9 seconds.

Visual Effects Department

1. 70% of 50 degrees is 0.70 × 50 = 35 degrees.
2. 35 degrees ÷ 2 seconds = 17.5 degrees per second.