Get to know quadratics from a couple of different perspectives. Classmates work in small groups to determine the optimal cooking time for microwave popcorn. Group members pop bags of popcorn for different times and collect data on the number of good kernels. They determine the equation that models the graphed data and search for a picture of a parabola, overlaying a coordinate grid over it to find the equation in vertex form that fits the picture.

Concepts

popcorn, graphing quadratics, data collection, bivariate data, data analysis, regression analysis, quadratic equations, quadratic functions, vertex form of an equation

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Provide several digital pictures of parabolic shapes for learners that cannot find one

Classroom Considerations

• Second task requires access to GeoGebra
• Pupils should be comfortable determining the equation of a quadratic given a graph

Pros

• Includes homework exercises for additional practice
• Contains rubrics for scoring each task

Cons

• None

Common Core

MP4 MP6 HSA-CED.A.2 HSF-IF.C.7.a HSS-ID.B.6.a