Scenario: Travel Optimization - Learn systematic approaches to tackle complex problems and make optimal decisions!
Your family is planning a 5-day vacation with a budget of $1,200. You need to optimize your spending across different categories to maximize your experience while staying within budget.
Budget Categories:
• Accommodation: $80 per night
• Food: $40 per day per person (4 people)
• Activities: $25 per person per day
• Transportation: $200 total
• Souvenirs: Remaining budget
• What's the maximum you can spend on souvenirs?
Hotel
Food
Activities
Transport
Souvenirs
Budget categories
Step 1: Identify and organize information
Total budget: $1,200
Duration: 5 days
People: 4 family members
Fixed cost: Transportation = $200
Step 2: Calculate daily variable costs
Accommodation per day: $80
Food per day: $40 × 4 people = $160
Activities per day: $25 × 4 people = $100
Total daily cost: $80 + $160 + $100 = $340
Step 3: Calculate total fixed and variable costs
Transportation: $200
Daily costs for 5 days: $340 × 5 = $1,700
Total committed costs: $200 + $1,700 = $1,900
Step 4: Identify the problem and find solution
Problem: $1,900 > $1,200 budget!
Need to reduce costs by: $1,900 - $1,200 = $700
Solution: Adjust daily spending or reduce days
Analysis: The current plan exceeds the budget by $700. You need to either reduce the number of days, find cheaper options, or increase the budget to make this vacation work.
A school needs to transport 150 students on a field trip. Buses can carry 40 students each and cost $200 per trip. Vans can carry 8 students each and cost $50 per trip. What's the most cost-effective way to transport all students?
Your solution:
You have $500 to buy gifts for your family. You want to buy 3 items: a book ($25), a game ($45), and a toy ($30). You also want to buy some small items that cost $5 each. How many small items can you buy?
Your solution: