+
Activity
NOAA

Boat Building Challenge

For Students 3rd - 5th
Scholars build a boat using an assortment of materials such as foam plates, aluminum foil, and skewers, then test its buoyancy with pennies. Challenge boat builders to construct the strongest or fastest boat in a healthy competition with...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Rock and Boat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Cartesian Diver

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Amaze your scholars with an activity that uses a Cartesian diver to demonstrate Pascal's Law, Archimedes' Principle, and the Ideal Gas Law. Groups then repeat the process and make their own diver move up and down in a bottle.
+
Worksheet
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Improving Archimedes' Method

For Students 9th - 12th
For this Archmides' method instructional activity, learners determine the area of a regular n-gon inscribed in a circle.  They use sine and cosine functions to solve problems.  This three-page instructional activity contains 4 multi-step...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Taking Off on a Tangent

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an interesting geometry project that goes back to the time of Archimedes, the famous Greek mathematician. You can combine this mathematical project with computer science and take this ancient problem into the twenty-first century...
+
Website
Other

Ganoksin.com: Specific Gravity of Gemstones

For Students 9th - 10th
Specific gravity is defined and explained. Practice problems are given and solved. Illustrations included as well.
+
Activity
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: A History of the Calculus

For Students 9th - 10th
A site detailing the history of calculus. Many links to informative pages on historical figures. Also links to birthplace maps.
+
Website
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Pi Day

For Students 9th - 10th
Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 in honor of the never-ending value of pi (3.1415926) The renowned museum, Exploratorium, presents a history of Pi and offers links to Pi-related activities.
+
Unit Plan
New York Times

New York Times: Steven Strogatz on the Elements of Math Series the New York Times

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] On this site, Cornell University mathematics professor, Steven Strogatz, shares his 15-part series of columns on the elements of math. He investigates topics ranging from negative numbers to subtraction...
+
Handout
Other

Drexel University: Archimedes

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive site dedicated to the life and legacy of the Greek mathematician Archimedes. Content includes a timeline of Archimedes' life, an overview of several of his inventions, and numerous anecdotes isolating various moments in his...
+
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Rock and Boat

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students observe Archimedes' principle in action in this challenge where a toy boat is placed in a container of water and a rock is placed on the floating boat. Students must explain why the water level rises/falls/stays the same based...
+
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Taking a Bath Led to Archimedes' Principle

For Students 9th - 10th
This video explains how the early Greek mathematician Archimedes discovered the principle relating density, volume, and displacement of water. [3:01] Includes a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
+
Handout
Agnes Scott College

Alphabetical Index of Women Mathematicians

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the biographies of dozens of women mathematicians who were important in the 1700's, 1800's, and 1900's.
+
Handout
University of Utah

University of Utah: Archimedes and the Computation of Pi

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains information about the life and works of Archimedes. Includes a Pi applet. Has links to Eratosthenes of Cyrene, A listing of Pi to 10,000 digits, a biography of Archimedes, notes on Pi, and sources on Archimedes' screw.
+
Handout
Texas A&M University

Texas A&m University: Archimedes of Syracuse

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is provided for by the Texas A&M University. Archimedes contribution to finding the exact value of pi is discussed in this biography of Archimedes.
+
Handout
Wolfram Research

Wolfram Science World: Archimedes of Syracuse (Ca. 287 212 Bc)

For Students 9th - 10th
Gives details of Archimedes' accomplishments in the fields of geometry and engineering and offers a little information on his life.
+
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Real Story Behind Archimedes' Eureka!

For Students 9th - 10th
When you think of Archimedes' Eureka moment, you probably imagine a man in a bathtub, right? As it turns out, there's much more to the story. Armand D'Angour tells the story of Archimedes' biggest assignment- an enormous floating palace...
+
Handout
PBS

Pbs: Nova: Infinite Secrets

For Students 9th - 10th
Offers a look into the mind of Archimedes based on findings within newly discovered manuscript.
+
Article
Other

History World: History of Greek Science

For Students 9th - 10th
Presents the history of Greek science from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD. Navigate using the menu on the left. Covers major figures in science and mathematics, their theories and beliefs, and the influence they had, as well as...
+
Handout
World History Encyclopedia

World History Encyclopedia: Archimedes

For Students 9th - 10th
Illustrated entry provides an account of the life of Archimedes, a pioneer in the fields of mathematics and engineering.
+
Article
Famous Scientists

Famous Scientists: Archimedes

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the ancient Greek mathematician regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity.
+
Article
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Archimedes of Syracuse

For Students 9th - 10th
A biographical account of the life of Archimedes of Syracuse and his many inventions and discoveries.
+
Unit Plan
Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies

Mocomi: Buoyancy

For Students 1st - 7th
Ever wonder why/how things float? This concept is called buoyancy. Take this interactive journey to learn and understand how and why certain materials float and others sink to the ocean floor.
+
Handout
University of Virginia

Basic Ideas in Greek Mathematics

For Students 9th - 10th
This page discusses some of the mathematical problems addressed by some famous Greek mathematicians, including Zeno, Archimedes, and Eudoxus.