Christina and her friends notice that there is a lot of algae in a small lake in their neighborhood. Christina's teacher says that this is a result of fertilizer from nearby lawns being washed into the lake.

Question

Christina and her friends want the lake to be more healthy. They decide to try to persuade people to stop putting fertilizer on their lawns. They want to reach as many people as possible, but they are not sure of the best way to do this. They combine their money and find that they have $50 that they can spend to make people aware of the problem. They can spend about an hour every day on this project and want to finish it within the next two weeks.

After brainstorming, Christina and her friends come up with a few ideas for possible solutions:

Action Number of copies Cost per copy Time to create Time to distribute Who will see it
Idea 1 design a flyer and post a copy on public bulletin boards in laundromats, coffee shops, and libraries 50 50¢ 2 hours total 10 minutes each people who go to these locations
Idea 2 design a flyer and take a copy to each house in the neighborhood 300 50¢ 2 hours total 2 minutes each all neighborhood residents
Idea 3 create a large poster and display it in their classroom at school 1 $2 2 hours 10 minutes students and teachers
Idea 4 create several posters and display them in various locations around the neighborhood 5 $2 2 hours each 10 minutes each most neighborhood residents

Which of the ideas best fits the criteria and constraints for Christina and her friends?
A.
idea 1
B.
idea 4
C.
idea 2
D.
idea 3

Answer 1

To evaluate which idea best fits the criteria and constraints for Christina and her friends, we need to consider the cost, number of people reached, time spent, and the overall goal of reaching as many people as possible within two weeks and with the allocated budget.

1. Idea 1:

   • Cost: 50 copies at 50¢ each = $25
   • Time to create: 2 hours
   • Time to distribute: 10 minutes to post on bulletin boards (let’s estimate multiple locations, say 10 minutes per location).
   • Who will see it: Only people visiting the bulletin board locations.

2. Idea 2:

   • Cost: 300 copies at 50¢ each = $150 (exceeds budget, not feasible)
   • Time to create: 2 hours
   • Time to distribute: 2 minutes per house (the entire neighborhood may take too long).
   • Who will see it: All neighborhood residents.

3. Idea 3:

   • Cost: 1 poster at $2 = $2
   • Time to create: 2 hours
   • Time to display: 10 minutes
   • Who will see it: Only students and teachers in their classroom (limited reach).

4. Idea 4:

   • Cost: 5 posters at $2 each = $10
   • Time to create: 2 hours each (total 2 hours for 5 posters is feasible if they work together).
   • Time to distribute: 10 minutes each (to display in several locations around the neighborhood).
   • Who will see it: Most neighborhood residents (a good reach).

Considering the factors:

• Idea 1 will reach a moderate number of people but is limited to those who visit specific locations and only spends half the budget.
• Idea 2 is not feasible as it exceeds the budget.
• Idea 3 is very affordable and practical, but reach is limited to a small audience.
• Idea 4 is a good balance: it stays within budget and focuses on reaching a wider audience in the neighborhood while limiting the amount of time spent creating and distributing the material.

Thus, Option B (Idea 4) is the best choice because it fits all budgetary and time constraints and has the potential to reach the largest number of neighborhood residents.

Final answer: B. idea 4