The Most Expensive 30 Seconds

This year, the 30-second Super Bowl ads will cost about 8 million dollars! Do you wonder how much one ad will cost next year? In 5 years? In 10 years? 🏈

In this activity, students explore how the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial has changed over time, identify the nonlinear pattern from a scatter plot, and model the data to predict the future costs. They also reflect on whether such cost growth is realistic. This activity can be completed with or without technology (see teaching tips in the solutions) 

📝Suitable for students with a basic understanding of exponential growth/exponential functions. Students should be able to identify patterns and reason about multiplicative growth.
⏰Min. 45 minutes