Question

Pretend that a company can make a new metal that is stronger yet lighter in weight than any other metal.
If the company uses the metal, it can make safer, faster cars, planes and trains. However to make this new metal, a great amount of heat is needed. To make the heat, the company must use a lot of fuel (coal or oil)

Answer 1

My whole question doesnt fit so here: Pretend that a company can make a new metal that is stronger yet lighter in weight than any other metal.If the company uses the metal, it can make safer, faster cars, planes and trains. However to make this new metal, a great amount of heat is needed. To make the heat, the company must use a lot of fuel (coal or oil). This puts huge amounts of pollution into the air. You're on a committee that must decide whether or not to allow the company to build a plant in your community that will make the new metal. Tell what you would want the company to demonstrate to the committee before allowing the company to build the plant. Can the company show that the benefits of making the metal outweigh the risks? Think about different types of fuel that could be used, the amount of pollution, new jobs that might be created, and what is means to have cars, planes and trains made out of new metal. Finally, would you allow the company to build the plant in your community? Explain your decision.

Answer 2

Ok, so at a minimum, I would want the net pollution effect of the plant to be neutral. Let P be the pollution from the plant and let p be the pollution from one of their new cars or planes or whatever.

Suppose the new cars they make substitute for n cars from competitors with pollution q. Then the net effect of one of their cars is to lower pollution because the net pollution of the substitution of one car is
p - q.

Because p < q, p - q < 0.

Now if n of them are substituted, the effect is n(p-q). Add that to the pollution from the plant and we have total pollution of
P + n(p-q)

We want that to be zero.

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Answer 3

The jobs are another consideration. I'll let you decide how you want to incorporate that. As it is, there is insufficient data to draw a conclusion as to whether or not to proceed.

Answer 4

Um... well, wat does n mean?

Answer 5

@JamesJ

Answer 6

And let P be the pollution from the plant and let p be the pollution from one of their new cars or planes or whatever. how am i supposed to know which is which

Answer 7

because one is capital P and the other small p. But change the notation if you like. It's the idea that's important.

Answer 8

o ok

Answer 9

n is the number of cars/planes/whatever they make with the new metal which replaces or substitutes for a car/plane/wathever made by a competitor firm with old technology metal and higher pollution.

q-p is the extra amount of pollution in the air from the competitor product. Hence for every one unit of car of plane or whatever they sell, there is -(q-p) = p-q less pollution in the world.

Hence for n of them, the net effect on the pollution in the world is n(p-q). But that is offset by all the pollution this plants spews into the atmosphere, P. Hence you offset
n(p-q) against P for a total net amount of pollution:
P + n(p-q)

Answer 10

make sense?

Answer 11

yea

Answer 12

so..... ur saying

Answer 13

I would want the net pollution effect of the plant to be neutral. Let P be the pollution from the plant and let p be the pollution from one of their new cars or planes or trains. Suppose the new cars they make substitute for n cars from competitors with pollution q. Then the net effect of one of their cars is to lower pollution because the net pollution of the substitution of one car is p - q. Because p < q, p - q < 0.Now if n of them are substituted, the effect is n(p-q). Add that to the pollution from the plant and we have total pollution of P + n(p-q) We want that to be zero. n is the number of cars/planes/trains they make with the new metal which replaces or substitutes for a cars/planes/trains made by a competitor firm with old technology metal and higher pollution. q-p is the extra amount of pollution in the air from the competitor product. Hence for every one unit of car of plane or whatever they sell, there is -(q-p) = p-q less pollution. Hence for n of them, the net effect on the pollution in the world is n(p-q). But that is by all the pollution this plants spews into the atmosphere, P. Hence you offset n(p-q) against P for a total net amount of pollution: P + n(p-q)

Answer 14

Thx!!! @JamesJ