Bananas page 1 of 9

By William Greco-
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Executive Summary:
This is the result of a Banana experiment to determine the weight of banana’s
versus their peel weight.
Object
The majority of a Bananas weight consists of water and the outer covering known as
the peel. When a banana is purchased, the buyer ends up with mostly water and
a banana peel. The goal of this essay is to determine just how much the banana weighs
as compared to the banana peel.
Method
Four Banana’s were weighed, the banana’s were consumed and the peel’s were weighed.

Results
Table-1
Banana Test Results Total Weight Vs Peel Weight
Total Weight of Banana Peel Weight Consumable weight
126 Grams 35 Grams 91 Grams
147 Grams 42 Grams 105 Grams
156 Grams 47 Grams 109 Grams
168 Grams 57 Grams 111 Grams

Table-2
Banana Test Results Total Weight Vs Consumable percentage
Total Weight of Banana Consumable percentage by weight
126 Grams 72.2%
147 Grams 71.4%
156 Grams 69.9%
168 Grams 66.6%

Table-2 indicates the consumable weight of smaller bananas represents a larger

percentage than large bananas. Bananas are generally sold by the pound and consumers actually do
better when purchasing small bananas. The peel on large bananas is thicker and accounts for the
discrepancy of lower percentage of consumable banana per total weight on large bananas.
 Bananas page 2 of 9
By William Greco
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

The results were subjected to a curve fit.

Curve Fit Data Table

X = Total Weight of Banana Y = Peel Weight
126 Grams 35 Grams
147 Grams 42 Grams
156 Grams 47 Grams
168 Grams 57 Grams

The resulting equation works out to be:

X
Y (equation-1)
-5.32  0.13556X   0.0005139X 2
Plot-1 below results from considereing the peel weight as a function of X.
X
f(X) =
-5.32  0.13556X   0.0005139X 2
 Bananas page 3 of 9
By William Greco
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

The curve fit was then differentiated to determine the rate of change of peel weight
versus total weight.

X
Y (equation-1)
-5.32  0.13556X   0.0005139X 2

round off  0.0005139 to  0.000514

d X
 quotient rule 
dX -5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2

-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 dX

dX
X
dX d

dX dX
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
dX
1 
dX
d
-5.32  0.13556X  
 0.000514X 2 1  X
dX

-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
Simplify
d
-5.32  0.13556X  X
dX

-5.32  0.13556X  
 0.000514X 2  0.000514X 2
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
 d5.32 d d 
-5.32  0.13556X  X   0.13556X  0.000514X 2   0.000514X 2
 dX dX dX 
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
 Bananas page 4 of 9
By William Greco
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Differential continued from page 3

 d  du dv
  u  v   
 dX  dX dX

d5.32 d d
-5.32  0.13556X + X  0.13556X + 0.000514X 2  0.000514X 2
dX dX dX
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
d5.32 dc
is a constant and can be eliminated =  0 c is a constant 
dX dX

d d
-5.32  0.13556X + X  0  X 0.13556X + 0.000514X 2  0.000514X 2
dX dX
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
simplify 
d d
-5.32  0.13556X  X 0.13556X +X 0.000514X 2  0.000514X 2
dX dX
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
differentiate the polynomial 
-5.32  0.13556X  X 0.13556 + X  0.001028X  0.000514X 2
2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
simplify expression  reorder factors and 0.13556X  0.13556X  0 and 0.001028X X  0.001028X 2
-5.32  0.13556X  0.13556X + 0.001028X X  0.000514X 2 -5.32  0.001028X 2  0.000514X 2
2
 2

-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2  -5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
combine like terms: 0.001028X 2  0.000514X 2  0.000514X 2
-5.32  0.001028X 2  0.000514X 2 -5.32  0.000514X 2
2
 2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2  -5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
 Bananas page 5 of 9
By William Greco
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Simplification continued from page 4

d -5.32  0.000514X 2
 2
dx
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 2 
Plot-2 indicates the rate of change in weight of the peel versus total banana weight.

Plot-2
At a banana total weight of 126 grams:
2
d -5.32  0.000514X 2 -5.32  0.000514 126 
   0.219
dX 2 2 2 2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X  -5.32  0.13556 126   0.000514 126  
At a total weight of 126 grams the peel is gaining 0.219 grams per gram of total banana weight.
At a total weight of 160 grams the peel is gaining 0.764 grams per gram of total banana weight. At
a total banana weight of 166.8 grams the peel’s weight is increasing more than 1 gram per gram of
total banana weight.
 Bananas page 6 of 9
By William Greco-
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Another way of calculating the derivative of the curve fit is:

X
5.32  0.13556X  0.000514
simplify first
convert this non-repeating decimal into a rational number. Rewrite the given number as a fraction,
where the numerator is equal to the number after the decimal point, and the denominator is equal
to 10n where n is the number of decimal places.
X
5.32 13556 514
  X X2
100 100000 1000000

factor the integer divide it by the ascending sequence of primes (2, 3, 5...). The number of times
that each prime divides into the original integer becomes its exponent in the final result.
Prime number 2 goes into 532 twice.
Prime number 7 goes into 532 once.
Prime number 19 goes into 532 once.
X


22 7 19  22 3389  2 257 
 X- X2
2 5 
2 2
2 5 
2 5
2 5 
6 6

Reduce the fraction to the lowest terms. Divide out factors that appear both in the numerator and in
the denominator. The common factor is :22


17 19  13389  X-
1 257  X 2
 
1 52 252 55   
261 56
Calculate all exponents and eliminate 1’s:
X
7 19 3389 X- 257 X 2
 2 
5 23 55  25 56 
a ac X
c 
b b

7 19  3389X - 257X 2
52   25 56 
23 55
 Bananas page 7 of 9
By William Greco-
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Simplification continued from page-6

LCD LCD
A+ C
A C B D
Add fractions   The LCD (least common denominator) is
B D LCD
equal to : 5 and 25.
6

X

20000 7 19  20 3389X   1 257X 2 
6 5
5 2
multiply 7 x 19
X

20000 133  20 3389X   1 257X 2 
56  25
remove all parentheses negative factors will change sign.
The sign of the term will change, there is an odd number of negative factors.
multiply 20 x 3389
X
20000  133  67780X-257X 2
56  25
multiply -20000 x 133
X
2660000  67780X-257X 2
56  25
rearrange terms
X
67780X-257X 2  2660000
56  25
convert complex fraction to a division problem by replacing the main fraction line with the
division symbol.
67780X-257X 2  2660000
X
56  25
perform a division by multiplying the dividend with the reciprocal of the divisor

X 56  25
 
 1  67780X  257X 2  2660000
 Bananas page 8 of 9
By William Greco-
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

Simplification continued from page-7

The fraction which has its denominator equal to 1 is equal to its numerator

56  25
X
67780X  257X 2  2660000

Perform multiplication:
56  25  X
67780X  257X 2  2660000
Evaluate powers
15625  32X
67780X  257X 2  2660000
Multiply 15625 x 32
500000X
67780X  257X 2  2660000

Rearrange 67780X  257X 2  2660000  257X 2  67780X  2660000

d 500000X
dX 257X 2  67780X  2660000

 f   f g  fg  
quotient rule    
g 
 
g2
d d
500000X 257X 2  67780X  2660000  500000X   257X2  67780 X  2660000
    
dX  dX
2
257 X 2  67780 X  2660000
The derivative of 500000X is 500000
note
The derivative of  257X 2  67780X  2660000 is -514X + 67780   (257+257=514)

Substitute each derivative into the quotient rule:

(500000)(  257 X 2  67780 X  2660000)  500000 X (514 X  67780)
2
257 X 2  67780 X  2660000 
simplification:
d 500000 500000 X (514 X  67780)
 2
 2
dx 257 X  67780 X  2660000 257 X 2  67780 X  2660000
 
 Bananas page 9 of 9
By William Greco-
2404 Greensward N. Warrington, Pa.
Date: 29 September,2009

d 500000 500000 X (514 X  67780)

Checking  2
 2
dx 257 X  67780 X  2660000

257 X 2  67780 X  2660000 
d -5.32  0.000514X 2
Against  which was calculated on page 5
dx 2 2
-5.32  0.13556X   0.000514X 
A 126 gram banana:
2
-5.32  0.000514 126 
 0.219 equation from page 5
2 2
-5.32  0.13556 126   0.000514 126  
500000 500000 126 (514 126   67780)
2
 2
 0.219
257 126   67780 126   2660000
257 126  67780 126  2660000
2

Both equations check against each other

Some other forms of the derivative for the rate of banana peel versus total banana weight are:

d 1 0.13556  0.00103X X
 2
 2
dX 0.000514X  0.13556X  5.32

0.000514X 2  0.13556X  5.32 
d 1 X
 2
 2
0.13556  0.0010278X 
dX 5.32  0.13556X  0.000514X

5.32  0.13556X  0.000514X 2 
Conclusion:
Bananas are generally sold by the pound and consumers actually do better when purchasing small
bananas. The peel on large bananas is thicker and accounts for the discrepancy of lower percentage
of consumable banana per total weight on large bananas.

William Greco
2404 Greensward N.
Warrington, Pa. 18976
w2gre@verizon.net