Problem Statement:

Niko’s bakery, La Pastelería, sells Banana Bread and Pumpkin Bread by

the slice. Each slice of Banana Bread sells for $2.34, and costs $0.39
to make, and Pumpkin is $3.48, and costs $0.58. Niko has 50 total
hours: Pumpkin takes .33 hours, and Banana is .25 hours. He also only
has 175 slots to put the breads in.

Question:

How many of each bread should Niko make in order to have the maximum
profit possible?
 ←(Niko reading about pumpkin bread)

Constraints:
Time: 50 total hours:
Pumpkin Bread takes .33 hours,
Banana Bread takes .25 hours.
Budget: $100 total:
Pumpkin Bread costs $.58
Banana Bread costs $.39
Storage: 175 spaces total
Amounts of each to be determined—similar size means they take up
same amount of space

(Constraints Chart)
Constraints Pumpkin (x) Banana (y) Total
Time
(hours) 0.33 0.25 50
Budget $0.58 $0.39 $100
Storage tbd tbd 175
I know the costs of each slice because of the ingredients lists I
made:

Pumpkin
Ingredients Bread Cost
Flour (cups) 2 $0.28
Pumpkin (oz) 15.00 $1.83
Butter (cups) 3/4 $1.20
Salt (tsp) 1/2 $0.02
Baking soda
(tsp) 1.00 $1.00
Baking
powder(tsp) 1/2 $0.01
cinnamon (tsp) 1 $0.11
nutmeg (tsp) 1 $0.15
Sugar (cups) 2 $0.74
Eggs 2 $0.54
Cost per Slice $0.58 $5.88

Banana
Ingredients Bread Cost
Flour (cups) 2 $0.28

Banana (cups) 2 1/3 $0.46

Butter (cups) 1/2 $0.80
Salt (tsp) 1/4 $0.01
Baking soda
(tsp) 1.00 $1.00
Brown sugar
(cups) 3/4 $0.60
Eggs 2 $0.54
Cost per Slice $0.39 $3.69

Prices to sell each one at, with a 600% markup:

Banana: $2.34
Pumpkin: $3.48
Solution and Process
1. Using the above chart, I determined my prices, also marked above.
2. Using my prices and my constraints, I created these equations:
(x=pumpkin, y=banana)
a. time= .33x + .25y ≤ 50
b. cost= .58x + .39y ≤ 100
c. storage= x + y ≤ 175
d. profit= 3.48x + 2.34y = p
3. The inequalities above created this chart on Desmos:

4. Now I look for the feasible region, meaning the area where I make
profit using all the constraints. In this graph the feasible
region is where the darkest green is. I am looking for a line
that borders the darkest green.
5. Next I make a chart with various points on the line, which
represent profits I could make, by baking different amounts of
Pumpkin and Banana slices:
Pumpkin Banana
slices slices Profit
130 28 $517.92
63 118 $495.36
0 180 $421.20
The best solution is to make 130 slices of Pumpkin bread, and 28
slices of Banana bread.
Reflection Question:
How do you think you have grown in your ability to tackle real world
problems?

Learning how to maximize profit was something that, previously,

was totally abstract to me. Before, I always thought this sort of work
was only left to professionals who had studied business for years and
years. Now, though, I have learned how I can operate my own business.
This has taught me how to use my constraints to maximize the profit I
make. I have grown in my ability to handle business, and make money
with my ingredients and constraints, like time, money, and storage. I
also have a better understanding of Desmos, which is a very helpful
tool to use in different situations.
I know that sometime soon, when I am creating my own business, or
dealing with business at least, I will need the information I’ve
learned about during this project, and will be able to apply it
successfully.

←(Niko looking for bananas in the snow)