Purdue MM150 2020 September Unit 3 Discussion Latest

MM150 Survey of Mathematics

Unit 3 Discussion

Linear Equations:

Linear equations allow you to use math to model the real world. Linear equations can be used to determine the sale price of a hoodie on clearance, the cost of a taxi ride, or how many plants to buy to border a walkway. In the Unit 3 Discussion Board, you will use what you know about linear equations to negotiate a salary.

Initial Response Post:

You are the owner of a business and you must hire a new salesperson. You need to advertise the salary you will offer for the position. To determine the pay package, use the equation P = a + rs where P is the pay, a is the annual salary, r is the commission rate (written as a decimal) earned on sales, and s is sales for the year.

Choose an annual salary, a, between $40,000 and $70,000.

Choose a commission rate, r, between 2% and 10%.

Choose annual sales, s, between $100,000 and $1,000,000.

Calculate the pay package making sure to show the original equation and all steps to solve the equation. Write a few sentences advertising the sales position at your company.

Review an example of an initial response for this Discussion.

Peer Reply 1:

Congratulations! You have been offered the new sales position. You have an appointment with the hiring manager next week to negotiate your pay package. You are so confident in your ability to sell that you would like to counter the offer with an alternative pay packet that has a reduction in the base pay, but an increase in the commission rate. Find a classmate’s initial post that has not yet been replied to by a fellow classmate. Use this classmate’s response as the pay package you have been offered. Modify it this way:

Decrease the offered annual salary, a, by $10,000.

Increase the commission rate, r, so that you will receive an increase in your overall annual pay.

Keep sales, s, the same.

Calculate your alternative pay package making sure to show the original equation and all steps to solve the equation. Then, write a few sentences to show your employer how this alternative pay package benefits both of you.

Review an example of a peer reply 1.

Peer Reply 2:

Find a thread in the Discussion Board that you find interesting and join the conversation. Post several sentences on this topic that are thoughtful and advance the discussion mathematically.

Discussion Overview/Directions

In this unit’s Discussion, you will interact with your classmates on the course content. Remember, your goal for Discussion Assignments is to ensure that:

Responses are on topic, original, and contribute to the quality of the Discussion.

Responses make frequent, informed references to unit material.

Responses are clearly written.

You submit two or more Discussion Board replies to classmates as described in the Discussion Question that are thoughtful and advance the Discussion.

Keep in mind that when you post, you should include references to the textbook and any material found online. The class is all about sharing knowledge, so use Discussions as a way of creating a community resource for yourself and your classmates.