Gage Omana

E-Portfolio Project Reflection

1. Introduce the lab and which mathematical techniques were used.

This lab was about helping a local business tackle an advertising campaign. They

wanted to maximize their outreach to the largest group of people in the most cost-

effective way. They were also on a strict budget of $4320. They used this money to

buy ads on the radio and television. Most of the math involved in this project was

Linear Programming. I graphed an arrangement of inequalities established on the

limitations which provided a visual depiction of possible solutions.

2. Do you think this project shows how math can be applied to the real world?

I would say, yes, this project helped me understand maybe part of what it is like to be

a marketing advisor which gets contracted to help local businesses advertise. This

seemed like a very plausible scenario that probably happens all the time. Sticking to

the budget is a very important part of doing business, along with maximizing

advertising outreach.

3. Give an example of someone other than a business owner/manager that might

be interested in this type of analysis?

I could see using this type of analysis in any science related field, maybe someone

doing research studies or surveying.

4. Can you think of or find an example of (Hint: see the exercises in your text)

another application where linear programming could be used to optimize a

situation? Be specific.
Gage Omana

“Engineers also use linear programming to help solve design and manufacturing

problems. For example, in airfoil meshes, engineers seek aerodynamic shape

optimization. This allows for the reduction of the drag coefficient of the airfoil.

Constraints may include lift coefficient, relative maximum thickness, nose radius and

trailing edge angle. Shape optimization seeks to make a shock-free airfoil with a

feasible shape. Linear programming therefore provides engineers with an essential

tool in shape optimization.” (Dotson, 2018)

5. If you were the business owner in this lab and the manager brought you the

results of the lab, why would it be important for the manager to be clear about

the process and be able justify her conclusion?

To accurately understand the information that is being provided to me I would

certainly expect the process to be clear to me. This way I could decide whether we

need to make some changes or not and continue to follow the plan we have in place.

6. Did this assignment change your opinion of the usefulness of math?

This assignment did not change my opinion on the usefulness of math. I fully

understand how useful and applicable math is in our daily lives. I am a computer

science major and within programming languages there are very similar rules and

properties that were adopted from math’s rules. There is also a lot of math involved in

the process of writing software.