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This Archimedes and the King's Crown activity also includes:
- Answer Key
- Worksheet
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Learners will shout "Eureka!" in this quick but deep activity replicating the famous bathtub experiment of Archimedes. Given the scenario of a king with a suspected fake crown, young investigators develop formulas using density to determine crown composition. They then work to extend this formula to the more generic problem of mixed compositions.
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CCSS:
Designed
Concepts
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
- Try linking with a science class experiment on density or a history lesson on ancient Greek science
Classroom Considerations
- Student worksheet not separated from teaching notes or solutions
- ESL considerations might come into play with high reading level of student instructions
- Some learners might benefit from concrete examples (real numbers) before tackling more abstract formula development
Pros
- Connections between modern math and ancient methods are quite elegant
- Learners get practice dealing with abstract trends and patterns, providing key skills for higher-level math
Cons
- Part c solution references that gold is twice the density of silver without introduction or justification