Real World Math & Science

University of Massachusetts > STEM > June 08 Real World Math & Science

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | Space Architecture

Space stations, moon bases, a Martian greenhouse -- building places to live and work in extreme environments takes architects that can think outside the box. Take your students to NASA's Johnson Space Center and the University of Houston to meet architects that are tackling the challenges. Architecture in outer space is all about problem solving.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Viewership

Whether you're marketing motorcycles or a TV show, it's important to know what your audience thinks.  This lesson shows students the importance of statistics and graphs in a real life setting.

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THE REAL BAT MAN | Bats

For some people, bats are the scariest creatures out there. Not for Bert Grantges. He knows that without bats we'd be overrun by bugs and that would be scarier. He uses basic math like estimation, percents and ratios to track bat populations.

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SUPPLY & DEMAND | The Business of Farming

Do your students know where their food comes from? There are more than 350 different commodities grown in California, including rice, dairy, avocados, meat, strawberries, grapes and lots and lots of almonds. In a state that provides approximately 15 percent of U.S. agricultural products, statistics are an important tool to keep up with supply and demand.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | The Doghouse

Planning the construction of a doghouse requires more math skills than one might think.  What problem-solving strategies do you suppose would make the job easier?

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INNOVATIVE ENERGY | Solar Powered Cars

Using the energy it takes to run a hair dryer, this solar-powered car travels 200 miles at speeds of 50 to 65 mph. Meet the team of students who built it.

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MATH IN ART | Dancing to the Limit

Do you know any students who want to be professional dancers?  This movie will show them how math can keep them on their toes.

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Horses in the Movies

A Western wouldn't be a Western without stampedes and shoot-outs on horseback or simply cowboys riding into town. So, who does the producer call when he needs stagecoaches, buckboards and horses to make the script come alive?  And how much will it cost to bring those horses and wagons to a movie set?   Give your students the back-story and show them how math plays a role in keeping a movie from going over budget.

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ALGEBRA IN THE REAL WORLD | First One in the Ballpark

Lisa Winston is a sports reporter.  She does most of her work before the game even begins.  She couldn't do her job if she didn't know math.  Show your students why statistics and algebra are crucial to the game of baseball.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Monkey Business

What could be more fun than working with trained chimpanzees for the movies? This problem-solving lesson might just give your students a head for business and monkeys!

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ROBOT TO THE RESCUE | An Engineer and Her Robot

What do you do if you're building a space station and happen to let go of a $250,000 tool that you had forgotten to tie down? Somebody is going to need to take a spacewalk to retrieve it. If you're lucky, you can give that dangerous task to "Arnie"--the robot.

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GREEN TRANSPORTATION | Maglev Trains

Gliding on a wave of electromagnetic force, a maglev train could travel at 300 miles per hour or faster. Meet the inventors of the "Maglev Train" who describe the mechanics, the science and future benefits of this alternative mode of transportation.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Spaceports

Forget heading to the airport.  Pretty soon you'll be able to experience the next generation of transportation--your local spaceport.  New Mexicans may be able to do just that as early as 2010.  Voters in a New Mexico county recently approved a sales tax increase to help fund the development of the spaceport, which is already well underway.  Other states like Oklahoma, Florida, Alaska, California and Virginia aren't far behind New Mexico in creating commercial spaceports. 

Building and operating these new launch facilities will require science, technology, engineering, math, imagination and problem solving skills--as well as a sense of adventure!

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Recycling Computers

Every year over 250 million computers and 100 million cell phones are tossed aside in the US. Take your students inside Electronic Recyclers, the largest "e-waste" facility in California, to see the math involved in breaking down millions of pounds of electronics. From computers to cell phones, TVs to Xboxes, it all comes through their doors to be crushed, shredded, melted down and reused.

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ALGEBRA IN THE REAL WORLD | Frets

Music is full of rhythms and patterns.  This activity explores why patterns might be just as important to making musical instruments as they are in making music.

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MOVIE MAGIC | Models for Movies

How do movies and TV shows make their special effects look so real?  Well, sometimes they are real--but just in a different scale. Greg Jein explains how his job plays a big part in that movie magic--and how measurement plays a big part in his job.

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ENGINEERING SOUND | Cancelling Noise

Dr. Amar Bose tells the fascinating story of how he invented the "Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones" and how it took math to make it work.

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