Sts learn a little history, question what they have learned earlier, and calculate how far off Columbus was from East India and his understanding of the actual circumference of the Earth.
Indigenous Peoples or Columbus Day
Tag: 8.G.B
Watson saves
Students use the Pythagorean Theorem with Ben Watson’s incredible tackle to figure out how far he must have run. Truly phenomenal play!
Tiny vacuum with a huge reach
Wow! This vacuum can clean up to 2,800 square feet while using only one electrical outlet. How long must its cord be?
Spiraling squares – compass and straight edge
Can you see the many spirals in this design? Students calculate the size of each increasing round of squares and consider what sort of spirals these must be. The activity: SpiralingSquares.pdf Working with a little mathematical art is a great…
Pythagorean Triples and coloring
Pythagorean triples are not only handy for students to recognize but produce some interesting and lovely patterns. We’ve combined a little coloring with our Pythagorean Triple pattern investigation to let your students relax while they color, view the beauty, and…
Boeing 787 draws an airplane over the United States
Recently, pilots of a Boeing 787 testing a new set of Rolls Royce engines, fulfilled their FAA required long-distance endurance requirement in an unusual way. The Boeing pilots decided to have a little fun and fly a flight path that traced…
Spiraling triples
Let students explore the patterns of perfect squares and Pythagorean Triples as they analyze our piece of art and decide why the resulting construction looks like spiraling squares. For a finale they color their own spiraling triple. The activity: SpiralingTriples-activity.pdf