This activity guide is a supplement to the November 1996 issue of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Student Math Notes. It contains a series of problems based on one main story problem. Using this problem and the other problems contained in the guide based on it, students explore different mathematical concepts such as graph theory,…

Presents activities designed to help students bridge the gap between the graphical representation of a function and a verbal description. Includes a number of nonstandard graphs and reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

This is one in a series of SMSG supplementary and enrichment pamphlets for high school students. This series is designed to make material for the study of topics of special interest to students readily accessible in classroom quantity. Topics covered include periodicity, graphs, angles, vectors, formulas, tables, waves, and applications. (MP)

This module is primarily designed to focus on two main areas: graphing and map reading. Graphing entails the use of bar, line, and circle graphs, the x and y axes, the coordinate plane, and ordered pairs. Map reading includes conversion tables, approximations, devising scales, and learning to refold a folding map. (Author/MK)

A class of seldom-seen real-world applications of high school mathematics is described. The problems considered are viewed as more substantial than ordinary word problems and thus are thought to require a greater commitment of time and energy. Suggestions for student extensions of the project are made. (MP)

Presents activities in which students study exponential growth and decay by collecting data, constructing graphs, and discovering algebraic formulas. (MKR)

Presents cost analyses of building a patio, incorporating manipulatives, pattern building, graphing calculators, matrix applications, and functions. Includes reproducible student worksheet. (MKR)

One of the great strengths of mathematics is viewed as the fact that apparently diverse real-world questions translate into that same mathematical question. It is felt that studying a mathematical problem can often bring about a tool of surprisingly diverse usability. The module is geared to help users know how to use graph theory to model simple…

This section provides mathematical activities in reproducible formats appropriate for students in grades 8-10. The activity is designed to provide an experience in model building while developing the concept of slope. (PK)

Models of the motion of an object through space are discussed. The material begins with the simplest view possible in which gravity is the only force examined. Discussion progresses to an examination of the drag force, which is the resistive air force of the wind. Suggestions for further improvements are made at the conclusion of the presentation.…

This project involves devising and evaluating a sales tax schedule to meet the specific revenue needs of a hypothetical state in the United States. Conducting this unit involves many mathematical skills in a learning environment familiar to the student. The essential parts of the project consist of student preparation of a tax schedule and class…

This unit views applications of elementary game theory to international relations. It is noted that of all the significant world problems, the nuclear arms race has proved one of the most intractable. The main concern of the module is to investigate a possible solution to the arms race, based on extending the classic two-person game of Prisoner's…

This module was not meant to make handwriting analysts of students, but to make them aware that mathematics is used in analyzing handwriting. Activities revolve around ratio, mean, mode, measurement and some graphing. Sample spaces are explored and used to gain insight into how people write habitually. (Author/MK)

Unified Technical Concepts (UTC) is a modular system for teaching applied physics in two-year postsecondary technician programs. This UTC classroom textbook, consisting of 10 chapters, deals with mathematical concepts as they apply to the study of physics. Addressed in the individual chapters of the text are the following topics: angles and…

This middle school mathematics unit is organized around themes relating to sports activities in the Boston (Massachusetts) region and has a content focus on decimals and percents. The activities follow a story line which features a sports reporter (the student) and his/her assignments and adventures. Each activity begins with a headline, defines a…