ADDITIONAL

MATHEMATICS
PROJECT WORK
TASK 2/2014
APPLICATION OF MATHEMATICS IN
POPCORN PACKAGING

NAME:

WINNIE LIM MING YI

CLASS:

5 OLYMPIC

IC. NUMBER:

970109- 07- 5522

TEACHER:

CIKGU NORMAZIAH BT BASRI

AL

ICS

TICS IN
G

CONTENTS
No.

TOPICS
1

PAGE

TS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my
additional mathematics teacher, Puan Marziah who gave me
the opportunity to do this project and helped me a lot
throughout finishing this project. Without her guide,I may not
be able to complete this assignment.
Secondly, I would like to thank my parents and my family
for providing everything, such as stationaries and the
necessary materials needed in this project and their advices,
which is most useful and encouraging. I am grateful for their
constant support and help. Not forgetting my friends who
contributed their thoughts and ideas in helping me solve
problems regarding the assignment and gave me useful
comments in my research. I really appreciate their help and
kindness.
Besides that, I want to thank the respondents involved for
helping and spending their time to answer my questions for
this project. Without these respondents, I might not be able to
accomplish my task this effeciently. With their cooperation
and significant suggestions, I have successfully drawn the
conclusion for this project.
Last but not least, I would like to express my thankfulness
to those who are involved, either directly or indirectly in
completing this project. Thank you for all the co-operation
given.

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MORAL VALUES
Throughout the completion of this project work, I have
learnt that we have to be hardworking, determined and
creative in order to succeed. Polygons are studied in the first
few years of our school life as an introduction to basic
geometry and mathematics. Differentiation is also taught to us
in the secondary school lifeso as to increase our capabilities of
solving mathematical problems. But after doing research,
answering questions, completing table, drafting graphs and
some problem solving, I've discovered that the application of
polygons and differentiation is important altogther in our life.
By using our knowledge in polygons and differentiation, we
are able to create different designs in fields of construction,
manufacture and production and almost everything around us
in our daily life. The use of polygons and differentiation helps
to reduce cost and maximize profits in businesses. Thus, we
must learn and master differentiation so that we could do our
part in contributing to the society and our nation's productivity
in the future.
Furthermore, I have also learnt to appreciate my friends
generosity in helping me and the importance of teamwork in
completing our daily tasks. We should also be grateful to those
contributors in the field of science and technology who made
our lives much easier by coming up with formulas, principles,
laws, and many other ideas in inventions. Therefore, we
should all follow their footsteps and do our best to contribute
back to the society and country when we are all grown up.

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POPCORN
Popcorn, also known aspopping corn, is a type of corn
(maize,Zea mays var. everta) that expands from thekerneland
puffs up whenheated. Popcorn is able to popbecause, like and a
amaranth grain, sorghum, quinoa, and millet, its kernels have a hard
moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. Pressure builds
inside the kernel, and a small explosion (or "pop") is the end result.
Some strains of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping
corns.
There are various techniques for popping corn. Along with
prepackaged popcorn, which is generally intended to be prepared
in a microwave oven, there are small homeappliances for
popping corn. These methods require the use of minimally
processed popping corn. A larger-scale, commercial popcorn
machine was invented by Charles Cretors in the late 19th century.
Unpopped popcorn is considered nonperishable and will last
indefinitely if stored in ideal conditions. Depending on how it is nonprepared and cooked, some consider popcorn to be a health food,
while others caution against it for a variety of reasons. Popcorn can
also have non-food applications, ranging from holiday decorations
to packaging materials.

e a hard
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is non-

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HISTORY OF POPCORN

Biblical accounts of "corn" stored in the pyramids of Egypt are

misunderstood. The "corn" from the bible was probably barley. The mistake
comes from a changed use of the word "corn," which used to signify the
most-used grain of a specific place. In England, "corn" was wheat, and in
Scotland and Ireland the word referred to oats. Since maize was the common
American "corn," it took that name -- and keeps it today.
Popcorn was first domesticated in Mexico 9,000 years ago from a wild grass.
A few thousands of years later it then made its way across Central and
South America.Popcorn is one of the oldest forms of corn; evidence of popcorn
from 3600 B.C. was found in New Mexico. Corncobs found at two ancient sites in
Peru (Paredones and Huaca Prieta) may date from as early as 4700 B.C. This
suggests that people living along the coast of northern Peru were already eating
popcorn by that time.
The legend that English settlers, who came to America in the 16th and 17th
centuries, learned about popcorn fromNative Americanshas been proven to be a
myth. No evidence exists from colonial times to support the claim that natives of
North America's east coast even knew of, or, for that matter, grew popcorn.

RN

ild grass.

popcorn
nt sites in

dy eating

h and 17th
ven to be a
natives of

The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of
west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny
to about 2 inches, the oldest Bat Cave ears are about 4,000 years old. Popcorn
was integral to early 16th century Aztec Indian ceremonies. Bernardino de
Sahagun writes: "And also a number of young women danced, having so vowed,
a popcorn dance. As thick as tassels of maize were their popcorn garlands. And
these they placed upon (the girls') heads."
In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and
came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec
Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses,
necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of
rain and fertility. An early Spanish account of a ceremony honoring the Aztec gods
who watched over fishermen reads: "They scattered before him parched corn,
called momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses its
contents and makes itself look like a very white flower; they said these were
hailstones given to the god of water."
Writing of Peruvian Indians in 1650, the Spaniard Cobo says, "They toast a
certain kind of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it as a
confection." The use of the moldboard plow became commonplace in the
mid-1800s and led to the widespread planting of maize in the United States.
Popcorn was very popular from the 1890s until the Great Depression. Street
vendors used to follow crowds around, pushing steam or gas-powered poppers
through fairs, parks and expositions. During the Depression, popcorn at 5 or 10
cents a bag was one of the few luxuries down-and-out families could afford. While
other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived. An Oklahoma banker who
went broke when his bank failed bought a popcorn machine and started a
business in a small store near a theater. After a couple years, his popcorn
business made enough money to buy back three of the farms he'd lost.
During World War II, sugar was sent overseas for U.S. troops, which meant
there wasn't much sugar left in the States to make candy. Thanks to this unusual
situation, Americans ate three times as much popcorn as usual. Popcorn went
into a slump during the early 1950s, when television became popular. Attendance
at movie theaters dropped and, with it, popcorn consumption. When the public
began eating popcorn at home, the new relationship between television and
popcorn led to a resurge in popularity.

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At least six localities (all in the Midwestern United States) claim to be the
"Popcorn Capital of the World": Ridgway, Illinois; Valparaiso,
Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Schaller, Iowa; Marion, Ohio; and North Loup,
Nebraska. According to the USDA, corn used for popcorn production is
specifically planted for this purpose; most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana,
with increasing area in Texas. As the result of an elementary school project,
popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.

SECTIO
N A

QUESTION 1
For this activity you will be comparing the volume of 2 cylinders
created using the same sheet of paper. You will be determining which
dimension can hold more popcorn. To do this, you will have to find a
pattern for the dimensions for containers.
Materials:
8.511 in. white paper, 8.511 in. coloured paper, Tape, Popcorn, Plate, Cup, Ruler.

1)

Take the white paper and roll it up along the longest side to form a
baseless cylinder that is tall and narrow. Do not overlap the sides.
Tape along the edges. Measure the dimensions with a ruler and record
your data below and on the cylinder. Label it Cylinder A.

11"

8.5
"

Cylinder A

Take the coloured paper and roll it up along the shorter side to form a
baseless cylinder thatis short and stout. Do not overlap the sides. Tape
along the edge. Measure the height anddiameter with a ruler. Record
data below and on the cylinder. Label it Cylinder B.

ining which
e to find a

late, Cup, Ruler.

side to form a
rlap the sides.
a ruler and record

Cylinder A

ter side to form a

lap the sides. Tape
th a ruler. Record

8.5"

11"

ANS:

DIMENSION
HEIGHT
DIAMTER
RADIUS

Cylinder B

CYLINDER A
11.0 in.
2.6 in.
1.3 in.

CYLINDER B
8.5 in.
3.4 in.
1.7 in.

8.5
d

11.0

Cylinder A

8.5

Cylinder B

2)

Do you think the two cylinders will hold the same amount?
Do you think one will hold more than the other? Which one? Why?

ANS:

The two cylinders will not hold the same amount. Cylinder A will hold more than
Cylinder B. This is because the radius of Cylinder B is longer than that of
Cylinder A. Although the height of Cylinder B is shorter than Cylinder A, but this
does not affect much compared to the effect of difference in radius.

Cylinder B

CYLINDER B
8.5 in.
3.4 in.
1.7 in.

11.
0

8.5

Cylinder B

ch one? Why?

A will hold more than

er than that of
n Cylinder A, but this

3)

Place Cylinder B on the paper plate with Cylinder A inside it. Use
your cup to pour popcorn into Cylinder A until it is full. Carefully, lift
Cylinder A so that the popcorn falls into Cylinder B. Describe what
happened. Is Cylinder B full, not full, or overflowing?

ANS:

Cylinder B is not full. There is still room in the cylinder for more popcorn.

As you share your popcorn snack, answer the questions below.

4)a) Was your prediction correct? How do you know?
ANS:

Yes, the prediction is correct. It is based on the formula, volume of cylinder equals to
rh. According to the formula, radius, r has more effect than height, h since radius,
r is squared. Thus the Cylinder B with greater radius, r has a greater volume,
than Cylinder A.

b) If your prediction is incorrect, describe what actually happened.

5)a) State the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder.
ANS:

Having a right cylinder with height, h units and a base of radius, r units with the
axes chosen so that the origin is at the centre of one base and the height is
measured along the positive x- axis. A plane selection at a distance of
the origin has an area of A(x) square units where:

An element of volume, is a right cylinder of base area Aw square units and a

thickness of X units. Thus if V cubic units is the volume of the right circular
cylinder, by *Riemann sums:

inside it. Use

full. Carefully, lift
B. Describe what

ore popcorn.

ons below.

me of cylinder equals to
height, h since radius,
a greater volume, V

happened.

us, r units with the

d the height is
stance of x units from

uare units and a

he right circular

And by using cylindrical coordinates, the volume can also be calculated by

integration over:

b) Calculate the volume of Cylinder A?

ANS:

Volume of Cylinder A:
(1.3)(11)
58.4

c) Calculate the volume of Cylinder B?

ANS:

Volume of Cylinder B:
(1.7)(8.5)
77.2

d) Explain why the cylinders do or not do not hold the same amount. Use
the formula for the volume of a cylinder to guide your explanation.
ANS:

Different cylinder with different radii and height will have different values in
volume. Based on the formula
, the radius is squared and hence radius plays
a bigger part than the height. The reason why Cylinder B has bigger volume than
Cylinder A because it has a bigger radius than Cylinder A.
DIMENSION
CYLINDER A
CYLINDER B
HEIGHT
11.0 in.
8.5 in.
DIAMTER
2.6 in.
3.4 in.
RADIUS
1.3 in.
1.7 in.
volume
58.4 in.
77.2 in.

calculated by

same amount. Use

ur explanation.

erent values in
and hence radius plays
as bigger volume than
CYLINDER B
8.5 in.
3.4 in.
1.7 in.
77.2 in.

9
0
8
0
7
0
6
0
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0
0

A
B

Height,h

Diameter,d

Radius,r

Volume,V

11

2.6

1.3

58.4

8.5

3.4

1.7

77.2

6) Which measurement impacts the volume more: the radius or the

height? Work through the example below to help you answer the
question.
Assume that you have a cylinder with a radius of 3 inches and a height
of 10 inches. Increase the radius by 1 inch and determine the new
volume. Then using the original radius, increase the height by 1 inch
and determine the new volume.
CYLINDER
ORIGINAL
INCREASED RADIUS
INCREASED HEIGHT

RADIUS
3

HEIGHT
10

Volume,V
58.4
77.2

radius or the
u answer the

nches and a height

rmine the new
height by 1 inch
VOLUME

Which increased dimension had a larger impact on the volume of the

cylinder? Why do you think this is true?
ANS:

CYLINDER
ORIGINAL
INCREASED RADIUS
INCREASED HEIGHT

RADIUS
3

HEIGHT
10

he volume of the

VOLUME

SECTIO
N B

If you were buying popcorn at the movie theatre and wanted the most
popcorn, what type of container would you look for?
Clue: You need more than one type of containers.
You are given 300cm of thin sheet material. Explain the details.
Have a thought about:
i) You are the popcorn seller, what type of container would you
look for?
ii) You are the producer of containers, what type of container
would you choose to have the most profit?

the most

ould you