JavaScript Mini Project: The Cinema Ticket Machine

Let's build the brain of a cinema ticket machine. Ticket prices depend on the customer's age, whether it's a matinee (daytime) show, and whether they have a student card.

tickets.js

// ---- Customer details (try changing these!) ----
const age = 20;
const isStudent = true;
const showTime = 14; // 24-hour clock: 14 means 2 pm

// ---- Work out the base price ----
let price;
let category;

if (age < 3) {
  price = 0;
  category = "Baby (free!)";
} else if (age < 13) {
  price = 30;
  category = "Child";
} else if (age >= 65) {
  price = 35;
  category = "Senior";
} else {
  price = 60;
  category = "Adult";
}

// ---- Discounts ----
const isMatinee = showTime < 17;
if (isMatinee && price > 0) {
  price -= 10;
}

if (isStudent && category === "Adult") {
  price = price * 0.8; // 20% off
}

// ---- Print the ticket ----
console.log("🎬 ======= TICKET ======= 🎬");
console.log(`Category: ${category}`);
console.log(`Show time: ${showTime}:00 ${isMatinee ? "(matinee discount)" : ""}`);
console.log(`Student discount: ${isStudent && category === "Adult" ? "yes" : "no"}`);
console.log(`Price: $${price.toFixed(2)}`);
console.log(price === 0 ? "Enjoy the show, little one!" : "Enjoy the show!");

It prints

🎬 ======= TICKET ======= 🎬
Category: Adult
Show time: 14:00 (matinee discount)
Student discount: yes
Price: $40.00
Enjoy the show!

Our adult started at $60, got $10 off for the matinee ($50), and then 20% off for being a student ($40). Nice deal!

Try it yourself

Test the machine with different customers: a 2-year-old, an 8-year-old at an evening show (say, showTime = 19), a 70-year-old student, and a 30-year-old non-student at 9 pm. Does the machine always do the right thing? Can you find any cases where the rules seem unfair?

Reading is step one