Geometry and Its Real World Applications

Bryan PhillipsAurora University

Summer 2011

Background InformationHigh School Geometry Course

Students 10th – 12th Grades (predominately 10th)Come from Lower Level Algebra Course

Done Over 5 Class Periods (80 min in length)Not Done in Consecutive PeriodsYear Long Block (A/B Days)

Takes Place During 4th QuarterAlready Know Pythagorean TheoremAlready Know Area/Circumference of CirclesAlready Know Area of Regular PolygonsAlready Know Volume of Prisms

Day 1Hook: Youtube video on How Louisville Slugger

Started http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jroExgSSjzo

Present Task #1Investigate on Louisville Website Pros vs. Cons of

Ash Wood vs. Maple WoodStudents Complete Task #1Introduce Sine, Cosine, and Tangent Functions and

Their InversesGuided Notes

Homework: Kuta Software Wkst. (Right Triangle Trig.) #2 – 24 evens

Task #1You have just been hired by Louisville Slugger to do some site testing for their new baseball bats that they would like to manufacture. They are having difficulty deciding on which type of lumber they would like to use in making their new bats. They have narrowed their choices down between ash and maple. It is up to you to research the pros and cons between the two, and ultimately decide which route the company should go in manufacturing their new product. To help you get started, you should visit the Louisville Slugger Website: http://www.slugger.com/technology/wood.html.

Task #1Ash Maple

Pros Cons Pros Cons

Cost of Ash per Ounce: Cost of Maple per Ounce:

Day 2Questions on HomeworkHook: Youtube Video of Ziplininghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=I9RfT1yBw6s&feature=relatedDiscussion About Height They Started From Introduction to Angles of Elevation and Depression

Guided NotesYoutube Video on How to Make a Clinometer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMLcU1QkntsCreate ClinometersHomework: Angles of Elevation and Depression Worksheet #1 – 9 all

Day 3Questions on HomeworkHook: Youtube Video of How to Use a Clinometer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiNUI1R2gmIPresent Task #2Go Outside to Take Measurements (working in

pairs)Back Inside for CalculationsHomework: Complete Task #2 Wkst.

(individually)

Task #2Now that you have decided on which type of lumber Louisville Slugger should use, it is time to investigate how much wood we can get out of one tree to produce the bats. In order to do this, you are going to need to go out in the field and investigate heights of trees and determine how much “good” wood you can obtain from one tree. You will need to test three trees and use what you know about Geometry in order to figure out how much wood you can obtain. (Note: Make all calculations in inches.)

Tree # 1Distance from tree:Angle to Top:Height of Tree:Circumference:Radius:Area:

Task #2Your height at

eye level?

How can we determine how much “good”

wood is in a tree?

Think about the shape of a tree. Which

formula would best depict the shape of a tree? What is the formula?

Calculate the amount of “good” wood we can

obtain on average from all of your trees.

Day 4 Questions on Homework Present Task #3 Introduction to Volumes of Cylinders

Guided Notes Demonstration of How Volume of a Cylinder is Similar to

Volume of a Rectangular Prism Youtube Video on Deriving the Volume Formula of a Cone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnVr_x7c79w Introduction to Volume of Cones

Guided Notes Homework: Volumes of Cylinders and Cones Wkst. #1 – 7 all

Day 5Questions on HomeworkHook: Youtube Video on How Wood Baseball

Bats are Made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptyIxhiMvtM&feature=related

Students Complete Task #3 (in pairs)Once Complete, Students Working on

Laptops to Complete SummaryHomework: Complete Task #3 (if needed)

and Complete Summary

Task #3In this task you are going to use the calculations from the previous task to determine how many baseball bats you can create from your “good” wood. Your goal is to make as many 32” , 33” , and 34” bats as possible with your wood. In order to make a 32” in bat, you are going to need to add 2” (i.e. a 34” bat now becomes a 38” bat) of wood to both ends to run through the press that makes the bats. In this given situation you have 10 feet of “good” wood to work with. Complete the questions below pertaining to your calculations from Task #2.

Task #3What is the amount of “good” wood that you can use to create your Louisville Slugger Bats?

Given the 10 ft of lumber that you have to work with, is it possible to create each length of bat using the specifications stated above? Explain your reasoning.

Task #3If it takes 3” in diameter to create a baseball bat, how many bats could you make given your radius of the tree?

If you wanted to make each size of bat, how many bats could you make from this 10 ft section of lumber? (Hint: Think tiers.) 

32” bats:

33” bats:

34” bats:

Total # of bats:

Task #3If it costs $1.50 per inch to produce Ash

bats and $1.80 per inch to produce Maple bats, what reasonable price should Louisville Slugger Charge for a: a. 32” bat? Ash:

Maple: b. 33” bat? Ash:

Maple: c. 34” bat? Ash:

Maple:

Explain your reasoning.

Using the information from Questions 4 and 5, what is the maximum amount of money Louisville Slugger could make from your 10 ft section of lumber in Ash bats? What about Maple bats?

Task #3In a Word document, write your

recommendations to Louisville Slugger Bats about your investigation in producing wood bats. Your report should include pieces of information from the 3 Tasks you completed. Remember, this is a sales pitch to them so they will want to know details about the bat you selected and how much money they could make. Your summary should be no more than one page, double-spaced.

Common Core Practices 1 – 3 The Common Core Practices that are evident throughout this lesson are:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Task #3 – open ended questions

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Task #2 – calculations

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

Summary

Common Core Practices 4 – 6 The Common Core Practices that are evident throughout this lesson are:

4. Model with mathematics.

Task #2, Task #3, All of the Homework

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

Task #2 – measurements

6. Attend to precision.

Task #2 – measurements, Task #3 - calculations

Common Core Practices 7 – 8 The Common Core Practices that are evident throughout this lesson are:

7. Look for and make use of structure.

Not Present

8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Not Present