Parts (a) and (b) of the task ask students to find the …
Parts (a) and (b) of the task ask students to find the unit rates that one can compute in this context. Part (b) does not specify whether the units should be laps or km, so answers can be expressed using either one.
This task, while involving relatively simple arithmetic, codes to all three standards …
This task, while involving relatively simple arithmetic, codes to all three standards in this cluster, and also offers students a good opportunity to practice modeling (MP4), since they must attempt to make reasonable assumptions about the average length of vehicles in the traffic jam and the space between vehicles. Teachers can encourage students to compare their solutions with other students.
It is much easier to visualize division of fraction problems with contexts …
It is much easier to visualize division of fraction problems with contexts where the quantities involved are continuous. It makes sense to talk about a fraction of an hour. The context suggests a linear diagram, so this is a good opportunity for students to draw a number line or a double number line to solve the problem.
This lesson introduces students to the “Tragedy of the Commons,” an extended …
This lesson introduces students to the “Tragedy of the Commons,” an extended metaphor for problems of shared environmental or man-made resources that are overused and eventually depleted. In this metaphor, shared resources are compared to a common grazing pasture, or “commons,” on which any dairy farmer can graze as many cows as he/she wishes. If too many cows are added to the commons, they will overeat the grass in the pasture and the shared resource will become depleted – a disadvantage to everyone. In this lesson, students will be inspired to think about possible solutions to this problem. To get there, they will use basic math to frame the problem and will discover how useful this can be in considering consequences of various actions. Most importantly, they will become comfortable with the concept of problems of shared resources – and will learn to recognize, and seek out, examples all around them. An exposure to algebra 1 and basic functions is the only math prerequisite necessary. The lesson will take around 50 minutes to complete and the required materials for this lesson are paper and pens or pencils, as well as some sort of prize to provide the winning team with in the final activity. For all five activities, students are asked to work in groups of 4, but groups of 3 or 5 would also be okay. Students will work with their groups to discuss the logic behind the tragedy of the commons, to consider some options for preventing this tragedy and to examine examples of problems of shared resources that are relevant to them. They will also come up with functions that fit behavior described in the video, and be asked to think about the behavior of functions provided in the video and accompanying materials.
This task examines, in a graphical setting, the impact of adding a …
This task examines, in a graphical setting, the impact of adding a scalar, multiplying by a scalar, and making a linear substitution of variables on the graph of a function f. The setting here is abstract as there is no formula for the function f. The focus is therefore on understanding the geometric impact of these three operations.
In this activity, students explore how trebuchets were used during the Middle …
In this activity, students explore how trebuchets were used during the Middle Ages to launch projectiles over or through castle walls as well as how they are used today in events such as Punkin’ Chunkin’. Students work as teams of engineers and research how to design and build their own trebuchets from scratch while following a select number of constraints. They test their trebuchets, evaluate their results through several quantitative analyses, and present their results and design process to the class.
This task gives students a chance to explore several issues relating to …
This task gives students a chance to explore several issues relating to rigid motions of the plane and triangle congruence. As an instructional task, it can help students build up their understanding of the relationship between rigid motions and congruence.
The purpose of this task is to emphasize the adjective "geometric" in …
The purpose of this task is to emphasize the adjective "geometric" in the "geometric" series, namely, that the algebraic notion of a common ratio between terms corresponds to the geometric notion of a repeated similarity transformation.
Students learn about regular polygons and the common characteristics of regular polygons. …
Students learn about regular polygons and the common characteristics of regular polygons. They relate their mathematical knowledge of these shapes to the presence of these shapes in the human-made structures around us, especially trusses. Through a guided worksheet and teamwork, students explore the idea of dividing regular polygons into triangles, calculating the sums of angles in polygons using triangles, and identifying angles in shapes using protractors. They derive equations 1) for the sum of interior angles in a regular polygon, and 2) to find the measure of each angle in a regular n-gon. This activity extends students’ knowledge to engineering design and truss construction. This activity is the middle step in a series on polygons and trusses, and prepares students for the Polygon and Popsicle Trusses associated activity.
Students learn about the fundamental strength of different shapes, illustrating why structural …
Students learn about the fundamental strength of different shapes, illustrating why structural engineers continue to use the triangle as the structural shape of choice. Examples from everyday life are introduced to show how this shape is consistently used for structural strength. Along with its associated activity, this lesson empowers students to explore the strength of trusses made with different triangular elements to evaluate the various structural properties.
This task provides a good opportunity for group work and class discussions …
This task provides a good opportunity for group work and class discussions where students generate and compare equivalent expressions. In class discussion, students should be asked to connect the terms of an expression with quantities shown in the diagram.
Students learn about and use a right triangle to determine the width …
Students learn about and use a right triangle to determine the width of a "pretend" river. Working in teams, they estimate of the width of the river, measure it and compare their results with classmates.
Book description: This is a text on elementary trigonometry, designed for students …
Book description: This is a text on elementary trigonometry, designed for students who have completed courses in high-school algebra and geometry. Though designed for college students, it could also be used in high schools. The traditional topics are covered, but a more geometrical approach is taken than usual. Also, some numerical methods (e.g. the secant method for solving trigonometric equations) are discussed. A brief tutorial on using Gnuplot to graph trigonometric functions is included.
There are 495 exercises in the book, with answers and hints to selected exercises.
This trigonometry textbook is different than other trigonometry books in that it …
This trigonometry textbook is different than other trigonometry books in that it is free to download, and the reader is expected to do more than read the book and is expected to study the material in the book by working out examples rather than just reading about them. So this book is not just about mathematical content but is also about the process of learning and doing mathematics. That is, this book is designed not to be just casually read but rather to be engaged.
Since this can be a difficult task, there are several features of the book designed to assist students in this endeavor. In particular, most sections of the book start with a beginning activity that review prior mathematical work that is necessary for the new section or introduce new concepts and definitions that will be used later in that section. Each section also contains several progress checks that are short exercises or activities designed to help readers determine if they are understanding the material. In addition, the text contains links to several interactive Geogebra applets or worksheets. These applets are usually part of a beginning activity or a progress check and are intended to be used as part of the textbook.
The authors are very interested in constructive criticism of the textbook from the users of the book, especially students, who are using or have used the book. Please send any comments you have to trigtext@gmail.com.
The precursors to what we study today as Trigonometry had their origin …
The precursors to what we study today as Trigonometry had their origin in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and India. These cultures used the concepts of angles and lengths as an aid to understanding the movements of the heavenly bodies in the night sky. Ancient trigonometry typically used angles and triangles that were embedded in circles so that many of the calculations used were based on the lengths of chords within a circle. The relationships between the lengths of the chords and other lines drawn within a circle and the measure of the corresponding central angle represent the foundation of trigonometry - the relationship between angles and distances.
Students investigate the relationships between angles and side lengths in right triangles …
Students investigate the relationships between angles and side lengths in right triangles with the help of materials found in the classroom and a mobile device. Using all or part of a meter stick or dowel and text books or other supplies, students build right triangles and measure the angles using a clinometer application on an Android® (phone or tablet) or iOS® device (iPhone® or iPad®). Then they are challenged to create a triangle with a given side length and one angle. The electronic device is used to measure the accuracy of their constructions.
In this task students must investigate this conjecture to discover that it …
In this task students must investigate this conjecture to discover that it does not work in all cases: Pick any two integers. Look at the sum of their squares, the difference of their squares, and twice the product of the two integers you chose. Those three numbers are the sides of a right triangle.
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