functions

This is a one week long performance task in which students creatively apply their mathematical knowledge and reasoning skills to solve a problem: Explaining mathematically the vertical motion of planets in the solar system. Students will practice using computational, technological, and...

In this task, students assume the role of a student preparing an application to the CIA Undergraduate Internship Program. In the application, they are asked to answer the following scenario in a 2-3 page paper: "A terrorist organization has taken control of the Bay Area power grid. They are...

In this project, students will use calculus to optimize a product or design. They will have to carefully characterize the variables and constraints of their system to form an equation to be optimized, and then take the derivative to find the maximum or minimum of that function. They must include...

In this task, students will investigate a periodic phenomenon in the world and propose a mathematical model that demonstrates the phenomenon. Upon completion of the project, students will submit a poster or a written report demonstrating the periodic phenomenon investigated. A 5-6 minute...

This task uses a new product, Joulies, which claims to help keep hot drinks hot longer. Students will study the change in temperature of an object as it cools and model its temperature as a function of time and use their knowledge of Algebra 2 in order to build a mathematical model of a cooling...

In this task students will design and analyze an object made of regular shapes of their choosing. They will specifically analyze how changing the object's dimensions based on a set of self-created equations affects the properties of that object. They will then produce a poster to display their...

Students imagine that they have been approved for a car loan, given that they have a cosigner. They will start by researching a used car they would like to purchase. They are instructed to consider their monthly income (or imagined income) when selecting a car.

Given three loan...

This task begins with an animated video clip showing a cat jumping into the road, and a car nearly hitting it, which motivates a framing question: Can the driver stop in time? This sets the context for a whole-class brainstorm about what quantities might need to be considered in order to answer...