APU MATH110 WEEK 6 AND 7 FORUM

WEEK 6
One
common type of calculation that is made frequently out there in the
real world is a “fixed and variable cost problem” – what I call a
Garfield problem because it’s a “lump and per” scenario. You pay a fixed
cost (or a lump sum) to rent the car, or have phone service. Then, in
addition, you have to pay a variable cost (so much per mile or per
minute). People use math all the time (or should!) to decide which
company has the best plan for their needs.

For
the purposes of this Forum, we are going to discuss a subject near and
dear to everyone’s heart these days – the price of operating your
vehicle. To do this, we need to collect three types of data – our fixed
costs, our variable costs and our usage. If you either don’t own a car
just borrow a friend’s data or use a hypothetical example based on
internet research. One student even did the analysis on his aircraft
carrier!

Please click on Start a New Conversationand make the subject of your post your car’s year and model (2009 Toyota Prius), so that people can tell at a glance which postings might be of the most interest to them.

For
your initial post (worth 6 points), in 250 words or more, give a full
and complete answer to the following questions. Then reply to 2
classmates on substantive posts of 50 words or more.
A – What are your fixed monthly car expenses? (1 point)

Although
most Americans view their car expenses as an inevitable part of life
and not part of their actual car calculations, we are going to figure
out what our car expenses really are.

I
want you to add up all the payments that you must make (car payment,
garage rent, license tags, insurance, etc.)–regardless of whether or not
old Betsy ever emerges from the garage. If you only pay insurance once a
year then divide that number by 12 to add it to your monthly fixed
expenses. You don’t have to share the specifics if you would prefer not
to–you can just give the total.
B – What are your variable monthly car expenses? (1 point)

Add
up your variable expenses—the ones that depend on how many miles you
drive the car. Don’t get into the nitty-gritty of your car’s miles per
gallon—just give an approximation of what you spend each month on
variable expenses (gas, oil, washer fluid, car washes, etc.).
C – What is your total cost per month? (1 point)

Add your fixed and variable costs together.
D – Approximately how many miles do you drive a month? (1 point)

All
of the discussion in the media is about the price of gasoline per
gallon, but to calculate your personal cost, a more relevant statistic
for you is your cost per mile. That is one of the things that you should
consider when you decide whether or not to drive home for lunch.
E – Divide C by D to figure your cost per mile. (1 point)

Pay
attention here. If your dollars per month are less than your miles per
month, you are not spending over a dollar a mile! What is your cost per mile?

Surprised? One student did the calculations wrong and got that she was spending $316.00 a mile. That would go way beyond surprised!

F – What changes might you make to save money on your total car expenses? (1 point)

Another
student lived in a big city and only used the car on weekends. When he
finished the calculations, he cut a deal with a local car rental
company, sold his car, and wound up renting a very nice car every
weekend for less than he was spending on a car of his own!
WEEK 7Parabolic shapes in the real world

According to Wikipedia, that great internet source of both information
and misinformation, “In nature, approximations of parabolas and
paraboloids are found in many diverse situations.”

Begin by clickingStart a New Conversation.Make
your example of a parabola in real life (Bouncing ball) the subject of
your post, and then tell us in your own words about your parabolic find
(at least 250 words). Do not just make this up off the top of your head.
The St Louis Arch, for example, is NOT a parabola—it is an inverted
catenary. Please cite a sourceconfirming that your example is,
indeed, parabolic and not some other more exotic curve. Frequently,
other students become interested in a topic as a result of reading a
post. Having a source cited gives them a starting point to do additional
research on their own.

You must also respond to 2 classmates’ posts in 50 words or more. You
may ask questions to elicit a more in-depth explanation, add additional
information to your own posting in response to questions, share
additional knowledge on another post or share an example from your own
life related to the topic.