Real-World Word Problems OSU Marion Math 148

Math 148 Au2006
OSU Marion
Dr. Maharry

Get Extra Credit in Math 148 Au06 from Dr. Maharry

2 points (up to a max of 20 points for the class) for each nice example of a Real-Life word problem that you have found. A web lnk is nice, but not necessary. If you can tie it into something we're working on in class, that is even better.
2 points (up to a maximum of 10 points for the class) for each nicely written solution to someone else's problem you found on this page. Hand it in to me or email it to me at maharry@math.ohio-state.edu

Problem 3

Demand for Flash Memory skyrockets

Posted 9/18/2005 6:39 PM

Digital music players, camcorders and other consumer electronics are becoming sturdier and more stable, thanks to an emerging component that Apple, Panasonic and other tech giants are scrambling to buy.

It's called flash memory, and it's so hot that manufacturers such as Samsung are investing millions in new facilities to meet demand. One type, called NAND flash, is expected to post revenue growth of 18% a year for the next five years — stunning results in the cutthroat components market, says chip analyst Mark DeVoss at researcher iSuppli.

"It's the fastest-growing memory market that has ever existed," says chip analyst Jim Handy at Semico Research.
...

But now, flash prices have fallen just enough to make them viable in bigger devices. The wholesale price of 2 gigabytes of flash has tumbled from $838 in 2002 to $99 today, Semico says.

Manufacturers are responding by putting flash into:

•Digital music players. Apple issued a major salvo to the industry this month with the Nano digital music player, which has up to 4 GB of flash memory for $249. Unlike most other flash players, the Nano has a big color screen and can hold about 1,000 songs. And it's more likely to survive a hard fall than full-sized iPods, which use hard drives.

Here's the question:
Can you draw a graph of what you expect the revenue for NAND Flash to be over the next 5 years? Is is linear, quadratic or exponential?
Can you draw a graph of what you expect the price of 2 gigabytes of flash has been over the past 3 years? How do you expect it to coninue? Is it linear or what type of equation?
How much memory (how many bytes?) does a typical song require?

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