Illustrative Mathematics Unit 6.3, Lesson 1: The Burj Khalifa


Learning Targets:

  • I can see that thinking about “how much for 1” is useful for solving different types of problems.



Share this page to Google Classroom

Related Pages
Illustrative Math
Grade 6

Lesson 1: The Burj Khalifa

Let’s investigate the Burj Khalifa building.

Illustrative Math Unit 6.3, Lesson 1 (printable worksheets)

Lesson 1 Summary

The following diagram shows how to solve a rate problem using equivalent ratios.
Rates and Equivalent Ratios

Lesson 1.1 Estimating Height

Use the picture to estimate the height of Hyperion, the tallest known tree.




1.2 Window Washing

A window-washing crew can finish 15 windows in 18 minutes.
If this crew was assigned to wash all the windows on the outside of the Burj Khalifa, how long will the crew be washing at this rate?

1.3 - Climbing the Burj Khalifa

In 2011, a professional climber scaled the outside of the Burj Khalifa, making it all the way to 828 meters (the highest point on which a person can stand) in 6 hours.

Assuming they climbed at the same rate the whole way:

  1. How far did they climb in the first 2 hours?
  2. How far did they climb in 5 hours?
  3. How far did they climb in the final 15 minutes?

Are you ready for more?

Have you ever seen videos of astronauts on the moon jumping really high?
An object on the moon weighs less than it does on Earth because the moon has much less mass than Earth.

  • A woman who weighs 160 pounds on Earth weighs 30 pounds on the moon. If a boy weighs 60 pounds on Earth, how much does he weigh on the moon?
  • Every 10 pounds on Earth are the equivalent to 4 pounds on Mars. If the same woman travels to Mars, how much would she weigh there?


Lesson 1 Practice Problems

  1. An elevator travels 310 feet in 10 seconds. At that speed, how far can this elevator travel in 12 seconds? Explain your reasoning.
  2. Han earns $33.00 for babysitting 4 hours. At this rate, how much will he earn if he babysits for 7 hours? Explain your reasoning.
  3. The cost of 5 cans of dog food is $4.35. At this price, how much do 11 cans of dog food cost? Explain your reasoning.
  4. A restaurant has 26 tables in its dining room. It takes the waitstaff 10 minutes to clear and set 4 tables. At this rate, how long will it take the waitstaff to clear and set all the tables in the dining room? Explain or show your reasoning.
  5. A sandwich shop serves 4 ounces of meat and 3 ounces of cheese on each sandwich. After making sandwiches for an hour, the shop owner has used 91 combined ounces of meat and cheese.
    a. How many combined ounces of meat and cheese are used on each sandwich?
    b. How many sandwiches were made in the hour?
    c. How many ounces of meat were used?
    d. How many ounces of cheese were used?
  6. Here is a flower made up of yellow hexagons, red trapezoids, and green triangles.
    a. How many copies of this flower pattern could you build if you had 30 yellow hexagons, 50 red trapezoids, and 60 green triangles?
    b. Of which shape would you have the most left over?
  7. Match each quantity in the first list with an appropriate unit of measurement from the second list.


The Open Up Resources math curriculum is free to download from the Open Up Resources website and is also available from Illustrative Mathematics.

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.
Mathway Calculator Widget



We welcome your feedback, comments and questions about this site or page. Please submit your feedback or enquiries via our Feedback page.