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Compare field trip venues on cost per student
Practice: Catching mistakes and made-up facts. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Your 4th grade team (84 students) is choosing between 3 field trip venues and needs the cost per student. You want exactly 3 numbered lines, one per venue, each showing the math including the bus (like "($600 + $420) / 84 = $12.14"), then a final line "Lowest:" with the venue. Use each venue's latest quote and only the numbers in your notes, plain text, nothing else.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Leaving out shared costs. The AI compares entry prices and forgets the bus and the site fee. Try: Say: "Include the $420 bus and any fees in each total."
- Using the old quote. Heritage's first quote is lower and listed first. Try: Add: "Use each venue's latest quote."
- Getting opinions. The AI weighs which trip is more fun or educational, which isn't what your team asked. Try: Say: "Output only the 3 lines and Lowest."
- Not saying how many. The AI decides the length itself and usually returns more lines, one per venue than you can use. Try: Be exact: "exactly 3 numbered lines, one per venue."
- Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in a message to your team. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Asks for cost per student
- Includes every cost
- Uses the latest quote
- Says exactly how many
- Asks for plain text
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