This lesson unit is intended to help sixth grade teachers assess how …
This lesson unit is intended to help sixth grade teachers assess how well students are able to: Analyze a realistic situation mathematically; construct sight lines to decide which areas of a room are visible or hidden from a camera; find and compare areas of triangles and quadrilaterals; and calculate and compare percentages and/or fractions of areas.
In this video lesson, students will learn about linear programming (LP) and …
In this video lesson, students will learn about linear programming (LP) and will solve an LP problem using the graphical method. Its focus is on the famous "Stigler's diet" problem posed by the 1982 Nobel Laureate in economics, George Stigler. Based on his problem, students will formulate their own diet problem and solve it using the graphical method. The prerequisites to this lesson are basic algebra and geometry. The materials needed for the in-class activities include graphing paper and pencil. This lesson can be completed in one class of approximately one hour. If the teacher would like to cover the simplex algorithm by George Dantzig as an alternative solution method, an additional whole class period is suggested.
Make a pan flute out of straws. Activity from Weekly STEM in …
Make a pan flute out of straws. Activity from Weekly STEM in a Bag. Colorado Americorp agents in Araphahoe, Denver, Garfield, Larimer, and Weld Counties. Work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under Americorps grant number 18AFHCO0010008. Opinions or points of view expressed in this lesson are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or a position that is endorsed by the Corporation or the Americorps program. This resource is also available in Spanish in the linked file.
This high level task is an example of applying geometric methods to …
This high level task is an example of applying geometric methods to solve design problems and satisfy physical constraints. This task is accessible to all students. In this task, a typographic grid system serves as the background for a standard paper clip.
In this activity about light and reflection, learners use a special device …
In this activity about light and reflection, learners use a special device called a Mirage Maker䋢 to create an illusion. What they perceive as an object is really an image in space, created by two concave mirrors. Learners will be surprised when they try to grab the object on the mirror and there's nothing there! Activity includes a light-ray diagram to help explain how the image is created.
Students learn about parallax in this Moveable Museum unit, in which they …
Students learn about parallax in this Moveable Museum unit, in which they use mathematical techniques related to parallax to calculate the height of an object. The eight-page PDF guide includes suggested general background readings for educators, activity notes, step-by-step directions, a Data Sheet and a Tangent Table, and an astrolabe template.
Students act as civil engineers developing safe railways as a way to …
Students act as civil engineers developing safe railways as a way to strengthen their understanding of parallel and intersecting lines. Using pieces of yarn to visually represent line segments, students lay down "train tracks" on a carpeted floor, and make guesses as to whether these segments are arranged in parallel or non-parallel fashion. Students then test their tracks by running two LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robots to observe the consequences of their track designs, and make safety improvements. Robots on intersecting courses face imminent collision, while robots on parallel courses travel safely.
A web page and interactive applet show how to compute the perimeter …
A web page and interactive applet show how to compute the perimeter of a polygon. A polygon is shown that can be resized by dragging its vertices. As you drag, the perimeter is continuously recalculated. Text on the page explains that the perimeter is the sum of the sides. For those who prefer it, in a formula that is given. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference interactive geometry reference book project at http://www.mathopenref.com.
The objective of this lesson is to illustrate how a common everyday …
The objective of this lesson is to illustrate how a common everyday experience (such as playing pool) can often provide a learning moment. In the example chosen, we use the game of pool to help explain some key concepts of physics. One of these concepts is the conservation of linear momentum since conservation laws play an extremely important role in many aspects of physics. The idea that a certain property of a system is maintained before and after something happens is quite central to many principles in physics and in the pool example, we concentrate on the conservation of linear momentum. The latter half of the video looks at angular momentum and friction, examining why certain objects roll, as opposed to slide. We do this by looking at how striking a ball with a cue stick at different locations produces different effects.
This task can be implemented in a variety of ways. For a …
This task can be implemented in a variety of ways. For a class with previous exposure to properties of perpendicular bisectors, part (a) could be a quick exercise in geometric constructions, and an application of the result. Alternatively, this could be part of an introduction to perpendicular bisectors, culminating in a full proof that the three perpendicular bisectors are concurrent at the circumcenter of the triangle, an essentially complete proof of which is found in the solution below.
Plankton to Plastic Pollution STEM Kit. The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach …
Plankton to Plastic Pollution STEM Kit. The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center collaborates with CSU faculty, National Parks and citizen science programs to translate their current scientific research into unique STEM experiences for students in the form of Educational Kits that can be checked out. Each kit contains just about all of the materials needed (minus common things like water and paper towels) to explore some really interesting scientific research topics. The kits are available for teachers and informal educators in Colorado to check out for a duration of a week by submitting either a local pickup form or a delivery form available at the linked website. Please use the contact information on the STEM Kit overview page to learn more. https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/ This kit is provided free for educational use. This resource is also available in Spanish in the linked file.
This task is part of a series presenting important foundational geometric results …
This task is part of a series presenting important foundational geometric results and constructions which are fundamental for more elaborate arguments. They are presented without a real world context so as to see the important hypotheses and logical steps involved as clearly as possible.
An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate polygons. The applet …
An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate polygons. The applet shows a polygon which is initially an irregular convex pentagon. The user can drag any vertex and a message shows if it becomes concave. The user can also alter the number of sides from 3 to 99, the title changing to reflect it's name up to 12 sides. You can also make it regular, dragging a vertex then changes all vertices to maintain it as regular. The web page has many definitions and links to the various forms and orders of polygon. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.
Students take a close look at truss structures, the geometric shapes that …
Students take a close look at truss structures, the geometric shapes that compose them, and the many variations seen in bridge designs in use every day. Through a guided worksheet, students draw assorted 2D and 3D polygon shapes and think through their forms and interior angles (mental “testing”) before and after load conditions are applied. They see how engineers add structural members to polygon shapes to support them under compression and tension, and how triangles provide the strongest elemental shape. A PowerPoint® presentation is provided. This lesson prepares students for two associated activities that continue the series on polygons and trusses.
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