Mathematics Portfolio for Project 1: This semester you will create a mathematics portfolio to research selected topics on the concepts in this course. For each topic, you will need to submit one page. There are three topics, which means the portfolio should have three pages. You will select three topics below in which you will investigate and demonstrate how the mathematics connects to the real world. This will require you to show at least one mathematical operation and explain the connection in your own words. Please be detailed in your explanation for your use of formulas with clear steps for another student reading this project to follow.

Please follow these general guidelines while working on your individual project:

Introduction

  • Write a brief introduction, about a paragraph or so. Explain the nature of your project and why it is relevant. Use the sources from the literature/google review to help you write the introduction.

Data Collection

  • Collect the data (from freely available sources like google or any other publications).
  • State where your data is collected from (include the author’s name and title of the book or internet source you used).

Data Presentation

  • Present the data collected (created).
  • The answer to this depends on the data. Data can be displayed via lists, tables, graphs, scatter plots, pie charts, bar charts, histograms, etc. Depending on the type of your problem you may use even combination of a few methods.

Performing a Project

  • Perform all the needed calculations to complete your project.

Conclusion

  • Write the concluding remarks summarizing all sections. Explain what your goal was, what kind of data you collected, what did you perform, what did you observe (calculated). Write your own interpretation or applicability of your result.

Topics: Topics you must address are the following three areas: ratios, proportions and percentages, and understanding of personal finance.

Each topic is worth 10 points, and there are 30 total points possible. Please see the rubric below for grading on this assignment.

You may create your own examples or use examples from the textbook to investigate such as the following examples:

  1. Find and discuss a published study (you may use a health journal, newspaper, magazine, or a government source) to interpret a ratio to compare two or more related quantities. Ratio shows the relationship between one part and another part, and therefore it can be used to compare amount of a certain ingredient relative to another. You can write about health benefits of a certain food as compared to others (e.g. amount Vitamin C in different fruits) or representation of a certain group of individuals in various industries or organizations (inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds in mathematics/technology as compared to other industries). See chapter 4, pp. 158-159.
  2. Find a recipe in a recipe book or on the internet with at least 8 ingredients. The recipe must suggest number of people the recipe is for. You need to cook this dish for a company of 9 adults. Recalculate the recipe ingredients list for 9 adults. Choose the appropriate unit depending on the amount you have.

Then cook this dish for a company of 12 children. The serving size should be definitely smaller.

Calculate recipe ingredients assuming that it is 2/3 of the original amount per person.

  1. Find two world records in athletics achieved in the same discipline. Find absolute change and percentage difference between these records. Then discuss the method of averaging percentages. Explain (with examples) which method is correct and which one should not be used. See chapter 4 p. 179.
  2. Create a scenario for a college graduate who receives an annual salary. Determine net income as well as a monthly budget plan that will include reasonable expenses (e.g. rent, gas, utilities, insurance, student’s loans and food/entertainment). See chapter 9, pp. 462-463. You may use a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel to demonstrate your calculations.
  3. Demonstrate how accumulated interest will depend on the APR, compounding intervals and term of a loan. Use at least three different scenarios for the same loan amount to compare which scenario will lead to a lower accumulated interest on the loan.  See chapter 9, exercise 36 p. 521.
  4. Discuss compound interest frequency (e. g. monthly, quarterly, yearly, continuous). Find real-world examples in which each of the frequencies is being used.  Find and discuss the maximum amount of interest possible in one year.  See chapter 9 pp. 477-478.