What’s Goin’ On In Room 133

Archive for December, 2009

Colleagues, dear colleagues.  We have come so far in such a short time.  Normally, I put our video links on our Great Links Abound! page (and you do want to check there for new stuff from time to time).  But I want to put these two in a post because it reminds us that all math is inter-related.  When we truly understand the properties of our extraordinary number system, we find that we spend less time crunching numbers and more time exploring ideas.  

Now, mind you, these links won’t illustrate that last point; that’s just your crazy Mr Edwards going off again about math!  And these links are not spectacular; they just show a lady going over some math problems.  But they DO remind us about a few things we have learned this year – and applies them to what we are doing now.  So get a pencil, a small notepad and your favorite hot beverage and click away!  (And when it really starts gettin’ good to ya - try not to spill that stuff on your keyboard, okay? )

Math Lab Lady – Part 1

Math Lab Lady – Part 2

The final speed of a falling object is found by using the expression v + 9.8t, where v is the speed when you begin timing and t  is the length of time the object falls.  Find the final speed when the object starts falling at 3 meters per second and falls for 2 seconds.  (Oh, we’re getting into it now, baby!)

UPDATED Dec 6, 2009:  And for a real easy one – check this out.   This problem has nothing to do with the speed problem above; this problem is “ripped from the headlines”!  It’s all about money, secrecy and good old government spending!  

Right now, President Barack Obama is having a tough time getting Congress to cough up billions (some would say trillions!) of dollars to take care of Americans at home.  Well, just over 200 years ago, President Thomas Jefferson had to “sneak around” to get Congress to make another major commitment as well, but what he had in mind was Americans pulling up stakes and leaving their homes for the Great Unknown. 

What was this about?  President Jefferson wanted Congress to fund the 8,000-mile expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.  It took (that is, the expedition took)  28 months to complete and it “provided the US government with its first glimpse of the vast lands that lay west of the Mississippi River”, according to the good folks at the National Archives.  And how much did President Jefferson want?  No less than the unholy sum of $2,500! 

Check out the SECRET LETTER from Pres Jefferson to Congress asking for the green!

So, the Word Problem is: How much did the Lewis & Clark Expedition cost per mile?  How much did it cost per month?  Do you think we got our money’s worth?  Rock on, colleagues!