To be as realistic as possible, I give the problem to the students as a business letter. The format is fairly standard and is designed to give them some background on the problem, identify the data they will use, and what the expectation for the solution is. To help them write the any solution strategies, the writer of the letter and their basic mathematical background are disclosed. A good letter will pique the student’s curiosity. The PDF below includes the letter with annotations identifying the purpose of the parts of the letter.
Project Letter Annotated PDF | PDF