Math SBA

Guide for 11
Barrett
J. Downer 

“If you read this document wah mi

spend time and write and yu come ask
me another question, I will tell you to
go read the document again”

THE SBA IS NOT MORE THAN 12 PAGES, SO DON’T STRESS IT

 Preface
First the math SBA is not to confuse you and give you more work.
Teachers have enough work as it is and CSEC also have enough work
on their hands. Over the years students themselves complain that
they don’t see where math come in their everyday life.(Blind Bats )
Therefore to bring its merits to the forefront the had to include an
SBA feature for these purposes :
1. You can personalize your learning
2. You will develop skills such as critical thinking, observation
and analytical skills
3. Development of your technological and organizational skills
4. Helps to apply the math you know to solve problems in
everyday life, society and the workplace.

5. Also because unu too damn lazy. Some a you guys don’t even
think lolol you all wouldn’t mind if somebody just do the SBA
for you lolol

Personally, if you have a 25 pack! Carry it come and I sort out one for you deal or no deal??
 The SBA’s structure

The SBA carries a total of 20 marks. As we go through I will show

you how the marks are allocated.
The table of contents is not listed above but should still be include in
your SBA to give an idea of the pages where the listed sections are
located.
Also a reference page should be at the end in case we need to check
the source of your information.
 Project Title

This is where you state the problem

that you are interested in solving.
The title should be
- Easy to understand and clear
- It must be a problem that can
be applied to real life.
- Must be investigatory; where
one can apply math concepts

The example in the math syllabus

2018 was simply:

“Designing a basketball hoop- why

use a circle?”

The whole idea of that SBA was to

experiment with the different shapes
to see why circle was more
appropriate.

Easy as cheese lol joke ting this… kmt

 Introduction

First thing you should do in the

introduction is to state the reasons you
have chosen to do this topic.

Describe the problem you want to solve or

the conclusion you intend to state after the
project has been completed.

The problem must be stated and sub-

divided into smaller parts here. The sub-
problems must be clearly stated or listed.

After reading your introduction we should

know clearly what you are going to do.

See you getting the hang of it

 Method of Data collection

One thing is very sure from the outset

here, is that there MUST be some collection
of data going on.
So here it’s just about describing how you
collect the information. Whether by
interview, questionnaire (Place a copy) or
observation over a period of time.

Also should be stated are the sources you

gather information from, Library or
records from a department.

State whether the information is discrete

or continuous.
Grouped or ungrouped
At this point I can see you don’t know the
difference. Lol Go find out

Easy as cheese lol joke ting this… kmt

 Presentation of Data

The information collected, must be

presented in a rational, coherent and logical
order.

It must be easy to read and clear.

Did you use :

Tables
Figures or diagrams
Graphs etc?
They must be organised, neat and accurate

Variables should be defined and it should be

stated of any mathematical formulae was
used for the sub-problems

State any theory or definition associated to

the sub-problems.

Don’t get flustered ino, take a deep breath and relax,

you’re doing well
 Analysis of Data

This is one of the easy parts. All you

have to do here is:

-Identify your sub-problem

-Write out each solution for each sub-

problem

-Ensure all formulae was applied

accurately

-Ensure solutions are laid out in a clear

and logical format.

Almost there
 Discussion of Findings

You can elaborate on all the things you

noticed in this section.

If you found that there were limitations or

shortcomings that were out of your control,
then make note of them here.

Here also you can make note of the

relationship between the information
collected earlier and the results of you
calculations with regards to each sub-
problem

Easy as cheese lol joke ting this… kmt

 Conclusion

In the same way your introduction gave the

reader an initial idea of your project; your
conclusion must give the reader a final idea
of your project.

Summarise the sub-problems and their

respective results

Convey the importance of your project and

how it could be applied to the real world

What are some of the ways the project could

have been improved

Was the project noteworthy and excellent?

Finally, are you proud of you completed

project?

That’s it guys the tough part is to find a topic. Just think of a problem
and see if you can find a mathematical solution
 Final word

- the project must make sense

-if any idiot is involved in the process it’s you, so don’t try to trick teachers by
getting information from the internet and pasting in the project. The rubbish bin
will be the storage place for any such SBAs that i com e upon.

- do not write anything in the SBA that you yourself cannot explain

- do not just choose a topic and finish the SBA without ever consulting with your
teacher at least twice

- do not wait till last minute to start and complete the SBA. You definitely will
get less support and guidance at that moment and will be frustrated and try to
put your frustration on the teacher.
do that to me if unu bad.

Enjoy the thing man you probably might find you want to use the same
skills for your personal reasons which is the point of it all anyway.
“If you can complete a math SBA then you

are a true mathematician. That’s basically

what they do. Research, calculate, analyse

and then make infallible conclusions.”

J. Downer  (Mathematician)
Sample
SBA
(Just an idea of the finished product)
Title: Investigating the decline in sales of Sunshine Mix Nuts at School ‘X’.

Introduction

School ‘X’ which is located near the town of Junction, St. Mary, has a population of 1250
students and 105 staff workers. The tuck shop records at the school reflect a major decline in the
profits obtained from Sunshine Snacks mixed nuts over the past 6 months. The tuck shop which
has been benefiting greatly from the sales of these nuts, is deeply concerned about the decline,
especially since the proceeds from the sales have always been used to offset the cost of the
breakfast feeding programme at the school.

In order to determine the causes of the decline, an investigation will be conducted over a six-
week period at the school. Throughout the investigation, the researcher will:
 conduct a survey by issuing questionnaires to 20% of the school’s population to gather
data relating to customer preference.
 establish a mini nuts shop on the school’s compound for 4 weeks, using 50% of each
variety of the nuts stock from the tuck shop.
 examine and compare sales of each variety of nuts and determine which is the least
profitable.
 suggest ways to improve the sale of the product.
Method of Data Collection

In order to collect data, a survey was done, questionnaires were administered and informal

interviews were conducted during the entrepreneurship venture (mini nuts shop).

Presentation of Data

This chapter is a compilation of data collected over the six week period. A total of three hundred

(300) nut mixes were used during the study. This included 100 Fruit and Almonds, 100 Sun Mix

fruit fest and 100 Fruit and Nuts. Half the total of each type of nuts were invested in the mini

nuts shop for 4 weeks and the other half was sold at the tuck shop. The nuts that were used in the

mini nuts shop were purchased from a different supplier from the nuts that were used in the tuck

shop.

The following tables (i.e. table 1 and 2) show how prices were allotted to the nuts sold at the

mini nuts shop and the profit obtained on each nut respectively.

Table 1: Table showing how prices were allotted at the mini nut shop

Fruit & Almonds Sun mix fruit fest Fruit and Nut

Cost Price $152.00 $144.00 $120.00

Total Cost Price for 50 items $7,600.00 $7,200.00 $6,000.00

Total Expenditure $20,800.00

Mark up (25%) $48.00 $36.00 $30.00

Selling Price $190.00 $180.00 $150.00

Table 2: Table showing total sales over the four-week period for each item

Fruit & Almonds Sun Mix Fruit Fest Fruit and Nut

Sales week 1 15 18 20

Sales Week 2 10 20 16

Sales Week 3 3 5 10

Sales Week 4 15 7 4

Total Sales/Units 43 50 50

Total Sale Amount $8170.00 $9,000.00 $7500

Profit $2,064.00 $1,800.00 $1,500.00

Figure 1: The Bar graph below shows the profit made at the mini nut shop from each nut mix
sold for the month.

PROFIT DISTRIBUTED
$2,500.00
$2,064.00
$1,800.00
$2,000.00
$1,500.00

$1,500.00

$1,000.00

$500.00

$-
Fruit & Almonds Sun Mix Fruit Fest Fruit & Nut
Tables 3 and 4 shows how prices were allotted to the nuts at the School's tuck shop and how

much profit was made on the nuts respectively.

Table 3: Table showing how prices were allotted at School “X” Tuck Shop, over a four-week
period
Fruit & Almonds Sun Mix Fruit Fruit and Nut
Fest

Cost Price $160.00 $150.00 $125.00

Total Cost Price for 50 items $8000 $7500 $6250

Total Expenditure $21750

Markup (25%) $40.00 $37.50 $26.25

Selling Price $200.00 $187.50 $156.25

Table 4: Table showing total sales for each item, over the four-week period at School “X”
Tuck Shop

Fruit & Almonds Sun Mix Fruit Fest Fruit and Nut

Sales week 1 18 12 7

Sales Week 2 8 10 10

Sales Week 3 2 6 5

Sales Week 4 5 4 4

Total Sales/Units 33 32 26

Total Sale Amount $6,600.00 $6,000.00 $4,062.50

Profit $1,320.00 $1,875.00 $812.50

In order to determine which nuts mix was most profitable at the mini nut shop, the weekly sales

for each nuts was compared. Figure 2 shows this comparison.

Figure 2: Bar Chart comparing the weekly sales of the nut mixes at the mini nut shop.

Weekly Sales

20
20
20
15 18
15 16
15
10
10 10

5 7
3 5 4
0
Sales week 1 Sales Week 2 Sales Week 3 Sales Week 4

Fruit and Almond Sun Mix fruit fest Fruit & Nut

A comparison was made with the profit that was made at both the mini nut shop as well as the

tuck shop to determine where the most profit was made. Figure 3 shows this comparison.

Figure 3. Bar chart showing comparison of the profit made at the mini nut shop and the tuck

shop.
Analysis of Data

Of the 150 nut mixes purchased for the mini nuts shop, 143 were sold, which includes the 50

packs of Fruit and Almonds, the 50 Fruit and Nut and 43 of the 50 Sun Mix Fruit Fest. As seen

in table 2, week one recorded the highest sales, given that 53 of the 150 nut mixes were sold

which provided $9,270 in sales. Though the sales for week 2 as seen in table 2 showed a decline,

the total sales for that week was not as bad as those reported for weeks 3 and 4.

When looking at the sales for each type of nut over the four week period, it was seen, as

highlighted in table 2, that Fruit and Almond mix sales was most profitable. This nut yielded a

total of $2,064. On the other hand, only $1,800.00 profit was made from Sun Mix Fruit Fest

sales and $1,500.00 profit was made from Fruit and Nut sales.

When looking at the sales of nuts at the tuck shop, as seen in tables 3 and 4, a noticable decline

was seen in weeks 3 and 4. However, when looking at the profit made from each nut mix, it was

revealed that $2,064.00 was made from Fruit and almond mix sales, $1,800.00 was made from

Sun Mix Fruit Fest sales and $1,500.00 was made from Fruit and Nut sales.

Based on the questionnaire administered, it was revealed that:

 80% of the respondents prefer the Sun Mix Fruit Fest, but think it is expensive.

 60% of the respondents indicated that the Fruit and Almond is their least favourite of the

three nut mixes.

 90% of the respondents indicated that they opt to purchase the Fruit and Nut because it is

less expensive.
Discussion of Findings

Based on the data gathered, it was clear that the mixed nuts sales at the mini nuts shop were

better than the nuts sales at the Tuck Shop. In fact, when comparing the profit generated at the

tuck shop to that which was generated from the tuck shop sales, it was reveled that from all 3 nut

mixes combined, the mini nut shop generated more profit. Another thing that was revealed based

on findings from the questionnaire is that the Sun Mix Fruit Fest was the most profitable nut mix

seller.

When comparing the cost price for the mixed nuts for both suppliers, it could be seen that

the tuck shop was purchasing the nut mixes at a higher price as highlighted below,

 Fruit and Almond - 5% more expensive

 Sun Mix Fruit Fest - 4% more expensive

 Fruit and Nut - 4% more expensive

Based on the cost prices of the nut mixes as was outlined in tables 1 and 3, it would be best if the

supplier that supplied the nuts for the mini nuts shop become the main supplier for the tuck shop

as we would be able to cut cost yet generate a good profit.

Conclusion

From the investigation conducted, it can be concluded that the Sun Mix Fruit Fest is the most

profitable Sunshine Snacks Nut mix, however, this nut mix can yield more profit at the tuck shop

if it is bought at a cheaper price. The tuck shop can then purchase a smaller quantity of the Fruit

and Almond since it is the least preferred and purchase more of the Sun Mix Fruit Fest instead,

in order to boost profitability and meet the growing demand. The tuck shop could also marry the

least selling nut mix with some sweets, retail the nut mixes by making smaller quantities
available for sale, sell other brands of peanuts, place a smaller markup on the less profitable nut

mixes and purchase from a supplier who offers the items cheaper.

Appendices

Sample A: Weekly sales log

WEEKLY SALES LOG

WEEK 1 SALES
Name of nut Fruit and Almond Fruit and Fruit and Nut
mixes Almonds

No. sold
Total units sold

Amount earned
Total earned

WEEK 2 SALES
Name of nut Fruit and Almond Fruit and Fruit and Nut
mixes Almonds

No. sold
Total units sold

Amount earned
Total earned
Sample B : Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1. What is your age group?

a. 12 - 14 b. 15 - 18 c. over 18
2. Are you familiar with the Sunshine Snacks brand?
a. Yes b. No

3. Have you ever had any of the following products?

a. Fruit & Nut b. Sun Mixed Fruit Fest c. Fruit & Almond

4. Which is your favourite product of the three?

a. Fruit & Nut b. Sun Mixed Fruit Fest c. Fruit & Almond

5. Why is it your favourite?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

6. How much would you be willing to pay for each of the following products?
a. Fruit & Nut ______ b. Sun Mixed Fruit Fest ________ c. Fruit & Almond______

7. Which of the packaging below is most appealing to you?

8. Does the packaging of the product have anything to do with your choice for purchase?
a. Yes b. No
 If yes, why? If no, why not?
______________________________________________________________________________
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