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The National Budget Simulation

Subject Area:

Mathematics

Address/URL:

http://garnet.berkeley.edu:3333/budget/budget.html

Description:

Do you ever wonder about all the money that's part of the national budget? Here's your chance to try to balance the budget, or at least to reduce the deficit a bit. In the National Budget Simulation, you can choose to decrease spending on transportation and increase educational spending, eliminate some tax breaks or create new ones. (In addition to exploring the mathematics behind the budget, this exercise can get political too!) When you have finished increasing or decreasing spending in each category, submit your results to see how you impacted the budget.

Note: We recommend you use the "Short Version" to avoid getting too bogged down in budget details. You can always try the "Long Version" next time.

Before you begin, you may choose to leave all settings at "hold even," not changing any amounts. Then submit the form to see the current budget and how it is broken down amongst the categories. Then go back and change the budget and resubmit the form with your changes.

How You Can Use This Source:

Observe current government spending and think of ways you would change it - do you want to balance the budget? decrease the deficit? What would you have to do to reach either of these goals?
Alter the budget by cutting or increasing current dollar amounts by percentages. Describe your reasoning for altering the budget as you did.
Submit your completed form to find out if you achieved your goal.

Go to The National Budget Simulation.