Illustrative Mathematics
Running Around a Track II
On your mark, get set, GO! The class sprints toward the conclusions in a race analysis activity. The staggered start of the 400-m foot race is taken apart in detail, and then learners step back and develop some overall race strategy...
Teach Engineering
Applying Statistics to Nano-Circuit Dimensions in Fabrication
Do flexible circuits change dimensions during fabrication? Groups use GeoGebra software to measure the length of pictures of flexible nano-circuits. To determine if the circuits change dimensions, future engineers use Microsoft...
Exploratorium
Tired Weight
You don't need a scale to determine weight. This activity provides a way to use the concepts of air pressure and surface area to determine the weight of a vehicle by calculating the amount of weight each tire supports.
Houston Area Calculus Teachers
Area and Volume
An AP calculus lesson begins with an activity to determine the volume of a solid using a cross-section. Next, learners review the ways to find the area between two curves , as well how to find the volume of a solid created...
Curated OER
House Project
Make young mathematicians' dreams a reality with this fun drawing project. Given the task of designing their dream home, students create drawings and physical models that demonstrate their understanding of proportion and scale.
California Academy of Science
Which Way is North?
Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...
Exploratorium
Tired Weight
Take your class out to visit your automobile and use the tires to compute the weight of the vehicle. This is done by measuring the surface of the tire meeting the ground and the air pressure. This is a fun lesson in the relationship...
Illustrative Mathematics
Computing Volume Progression 3
Learners are given a volume of a rectangular tank and are asked to find the water height. Because the total volume of the tank is given in liters, your geometers will need to use a unit ratio to convert to centimeters cubed. The exercise...
101 Questions
Oversize Tires
Big vehicles require some big tires. Given a picture of a flatbed hauling a large tire, scholars discuss and estimate the size of the tire. They then use information and video about the tires to estimate the height of a vehicle that uses...
Shodor Education Foundation
Triangle Area
While the instructional activity focuses on right triangles, this activity offers a great way to practice the area of all triangles through an interactive webpage. The activity begins with the class taking a square paper and cutting in...
Illustrative Mathematics
Computing Volume Progression 4
This resource was written for the younger math learner, but finding the volume of an irregular solid is also a problem for algebra and geometry students. Based on Archimedes’ Principle, one can calculate the volume of a stone by...
University of Wisconsin
Sizing a Rain Garden
Most appropriate if you are applying the entire unit to build a rain garden at your school, this installment involves calculating the area that will drain into it. Your garden planners will need data from previous lessons, so this one...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Deformation: Nanocomposite Compression
Students learn about nanocomposites, compression and strain as they design and program robots that compress materials. Student groups conduct experiments to determine how many LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT motor rotations it takes to compress soft...
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Maximizing the Area of a Rectangle
This activity is adapted from one of the TI books. Students measure lengths and widths of rectangles and record for the class to see. Each group's rectangle has the same perimeter, but different areas. After a discussion, students make...
American Chemical Society
American Chemical Soc.: Best of Wonder Science: Measure Yourself in Metric [Pdf]
Activities where students take turns measuring their height, the width of parts of the hand, and the distance jumped using metric units.
Rice University
Rice University: Cynthia Lanius: Golden Ratio
This site introduces students to the definition of golden ratio. It gives them a chance to estimate ratios and predict which figures are closest to the golden ratio. There is a link on this page that provides charts for students to...
Jim Loy
Jl's Math Page: The Golden Rectangle and the Golden Ratio
This is a personal site from Jim Loy that describes the golden rectangle and the golden ratio. Includes several diagrams and pictures as well as formulas. A good background in math is helpful.