Project 4 – Solving a Revenue Problem

This project is designed for you to solve a problem using Pocket Office on the iPAQ Pocket PC through the use of Word and Excel.

To assist New Mexico Highlands University with their financial difficulties, the university has been given permission to set up toll booths on the corner of 8^th St. and National Ave. as well as the corner of National and University. Your group has been asked to assess how much revenue can be realized from these toll booths.

Using your PocketPCs, your group will count the number of vehicles passing through each of the two corners for a half hour. [SUGGESTION: use each PocketPC to count each type of vehicle.] Using the Beam feature of your PocketPC, exchange your data with the other groups. Use this information to estimate how many vehicles will travel through these intersections between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily and weekly.

Analyze how much revenue would result from a toll of $.25 per vehicle and $.50 per vehicle. An alternative would be to assess different tolls for different types of vehicles. In your counting of vehicles, determine how many cars, vans, SUVs, pick-up trucks and other vehicles pass through the intersection.

Prepare a report that describes your findings and recommendations. Your report should include how many of each type of vehicles were counted, how many vehicles are estimated to pass through the two intersections per day, per week, and per year. Use different ways of assessing the tolls to determine the revenue that will be realized per day, per week, and per year. Use graphs to depict the number of different types of vehicles and the revenues obtained from them.

Recommend a set of tolls that your group feels would be appropriate for obtaining maximum toll revenue without “forcing” drivers to bypass the two intersections.