Kate Luna

Math 1010
December 10,2020
Car Project Comparison

For this project, I had to compare two types of cars. It didn’t matter what type of

car it was, what mattered was that it was the same make, model, year, trim, etc. The

two cars that I compared were a 2020 Toyota Camry and a 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

I had to find out how much each car costs and figure out how much money I would

spend per month for gas. After I did the month and got my answers, I set the cost of

each car and the amount of money for gas as a linear equation.

Next, I set up my linear equations, it was time to graph them. I used geobra

which created my lines. On geobra I had to label my x and y values, I changed the

colors of my equations so that you can see which equation represents which car. Purple

was for the regular car and green was for the hybrid car. I had to make sure that the

graph would “fit” within the screen so that I can see where my equations intersected.

The intersection point on the graph is when both cars will be the same price. When I

saw where they intersected I plotted those points on the graph (the ordered pair was my

solution to each equation).

After I plotted the points, it was time to solve the equations. I used two different

techniques: the first one was solving the systems of equations by substitution and the

second one was solving the systems of equations by elimination. After I solved for X, I

would plug that answer back into the equation (replacing X with that answer), to solve

for Y. I should be getting the same answers/ordered pairs as I did on my graph from

solving the equations two different ways. I did get the same answers all three times.

Finally, I just had to do a reflection at the end of the project. The first question

was if I got the same answers for steps 4,5,and 6 and if I should get the same answers.
Kate Luna
Math 1010
December 10,2020
The second question was just about saying in about how many months will the hybrid

car become a better deal. The last question was about which car I would pick and why.

Reflection

1. Do you think this shows how math can be applied to the real world?

Yes. I do think that this project showed how math really does apply to the real

world even when we think that it doesn’t. Doing this project made me realize that you

use math daily, whether we recognize it or not. This helped me know how to calculate

how much money I need to save per month (for my car) just to put gas in my car.

2. Give an example of someone other than a business owner/manager that

might be interested in this type of analysis.

I would say that a parent(s) would be interested in this type of analysis because

they need to know how much money they need to save each month. Someone

who is a parent needs to work in order to bring money to the house. After getting

paid, they need to pay bills, utilities, get groceries, etc. Not only is it those major

things, but also their car. They need to calculate how much money they need to

spend for gas whether it be weekly or monthly. Also if they would like to get a

new car, they would need to do research, compare prices, and see what suits

them more/what’s more beneficial for them.

3. Can you think of or find an example of another application where linear

programming could be used to optimize a situation?

An example that I found of another application where linear programming could

be used to optimize a situation is transportation. Transportation can be pretty

Kate Luna
Math 1010
December 10,2020
expensive when you think about it. It can either be a truck driver driving through

various states or it can be internationally; a plane flying products from one

country to another. For a semi, you have to calculate how much money is

needed for gas for the trip it is making and how much the driver will get paid. For

the is the same thing, you need to calculate how much money for fuel is needed

and if it needs to stop at a different country for fuel before reaching its

destination. Both modes of transportation have a big tank to fill which becomes

more expensive to fill them up with gas/fuel.

4. If you were the business owner in this project and the manager brought

you the results of the project, why would it be important for the manager to

be clear about the process and be able justify her conclusion?

It’s important for the manager to be clear about the process because its a choice

that I will be making for the company. I need to know that what the manager has

done is correct, that she did the research, and that she went over it thoroughly

before presenting it to me. I need to make sure that the company will be able to

pay for the car and the costs that come with it.

5. Did this assignment change your opinion of the usefulness of math?

This did change my opinion of the usefulness of math. At first I didn’t think

anything of it, I would just complain about why I had to take math classes if I’m

not going to use any of these equations or formulas in life. Turns out I was

wrong. This project was a helpful experience and like I mentioned before, we use

math everyday, but we just don’t realize it.