Systems of Linear Equations

3rd Marking Period Project

Project Introduction
Systems of linear equations are a useful way to solve common problems in different areas of life. One
of the most powerful ways to use them is in a comparison model where two similar situations are
compared side by side to determine which one is better. In this project, you will be choosing between two
real life situations and then using systems of linear equations to decide what to buy. The two situations
are:

1. Spending nights at a 3 star hotel in any city in the world of your choice (e.g. Paris, France; Rome, Italy;
Guayaquil, Ecuador; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; etc….) or spending nights at a 5 star hotel in New
York City.

2. Cell phone plans, comparing monthly fee and price per text message. You must use basic phones for
the purpose of this project.

Vacation
Situation: You have graduated from high school
and you are planning to go on a vacation by
yourself. You have always wanted to travel to
your favorite city in the world, but you need to
consider the price of the ticket as well as the
cost of hotel per night. As an alternative, you
want to look into spending the same number of
nights in New York City at a luxurious 5 star
hotel. Now you need to determine whether you
should go to Paris which will cost you for flight
and hotel or stay in NYC that will cost you only
for the hotel.
Note: You are spending the same number of
nights at each destination.
Assignment: Gather information from travel
agencies, such as American Airline, Orbitz,
Expedia, or Kayak, through their website for cost
of flight and cost of hotel. Then write a system
of linear equations for the two plans and create
a graph. Use the methods we have been
studying to determine which plan is better
based on the number of nights you decide to
stay if you had $1500 to spend for this vacation.
Cell Phone Plans
Situation: You have graduated from high school
and moved away to college. Your parents have
decided that it’s time for you to pay for your
own cell phone. You have to stick to a strict
budget. Now you need to determine whether
you should go with a plan that costs more per
month but charges less per text message or a
cheaper plan that charges more per message.
Assignment: You are to choose from a cellphone
company that offers two talk and text plans. The
company charges a monthly service fee of $20
for either plan the customer chooses:
Talk and Text Plan A charges five cents a
minutes and twenty dollars for 250 texts.
Talk and Text Plan B charges ten cents a minute
(first 100 minutes free) and fifteen dollars for
200 texts.
NOTE: Assume you are purchasing a basic
phone, which is $0 with 2-year contract. You
cannot purchase unlimited text messaging for
this exercise. Use the methods we have been
studying to determine which plan is better
based on the number of text messages you send
per month if you only have $75 to spend each
month.

Project Details
You will decide which project you want to do. After you decide on a project, you will need to:
1) Collect the data if necessary.
2) Write the system of linear equations and a word problem once the data has been collected.
3) Use the methods we have been studying (graphing and solving algebraically) to find the
solution to the written system.
4) Design the final display of the project on a poster board. Be creative & HAVE FUN! 
Project Rubric
2 points = Data for the scenarios.
(Only applicable to vacation plans)
1 points = Data
1 points = Sources documented
8 points = Word problem and the system of equations
2 points = All variables are defined
6 points = Both equations are accurate
8 points = Graphic solution
4 points = Each line is correctly graphed
2 points = Labels and titles
2 points = Point of intersection
8 points = Algebraic solution and explanation
4 points = Correct solving
2 points = Explain your work and how you came
up with the parameters
2 points = Check
14 points = Final Project
4 points = Creativity
4 points = Contains the analysis of your equations
6 points = Final product is organized and clear

Final Project Checklist – Refer to the rubric above

Make sure you have the following items on your final project…
 Collected Data (if necessary)
 System of linear equations with variables defined
 Graphs of both equations (this can be done on desmos and printed or drawn by
hand)
 Algebraic solution with work and units
 Analysis:
o If you chose vacation plan: For how many nights are the prices going to
be same? If you had $1500 to spend for your vacation, which plan would
you choose and why?
o If you chose talk and text plan: For how many minutes will both plans
hare the same cost? If you had $75 to spend each month, which plan
should you choose and why?

Project DUE DATE: Monday, February 26th, 2018

@ beginning of class
Vacation – Data Organizer

1) Define the variables

2) Complete the following chart to help you come up with a systems of linear
equations
Destination ___________, __________ New York City
Name of city, Name of Country
Hotel rating  

Name of hotel

Price of hotel (per night)

Compare same nights
Price of flight

Linear Equation

3) Write an equation for staying in any city in the world of your choice.

4) Write an equation for staying in New York, NY.

Talk and text plans – Data Organizer

1) Define the variables.

2) Express Plan A as an equation.

3) Express Plan B as an equation.

*Make sure you take into consideration that first 100 minutes of talking on the
phone is free!