Turning a tube of toothpaste into a maths investigation

1. Measuring Length

1.1. If you squirt a whole tube of toothpaste out into a single line, how far will it stretch?

1.2. How many 'teeth brushings' can you get from one tube of toothpaste?

2. Time

2.1. If you brush your teeth twice a day how long will the tube last?

2.2. How many tubes of toothpaste will you need to brush your teeth for the entire year?

2.3. How many tubes of toothpaste will your family need to buy this year?

3. Money

3.1. How much money will your family need to spend on toothpaste this year?

3.2. How much money will your family need to spend on all it's dental hygiene needs this year?

3.3. How much money are you likely to need to spend on dental hygiene over your lifetime?

4. Exploring cross-sections

4.1. Imagine if you had a laser and could cut down through the centre of the tube of toothpaste to look at the 2 new faces created. What would they look like?

4.2. Consider other household items, what would their cross-section look like? Find out.

5. Science connections

5.1. How do they get toothpaste into the tube?

5.2. Why don't the red, blue and white stripes squish into purple toothpaste as they come out of the tube?