Real World Math & Science

University of Massachusetts > STEM > February 2009 | Real World Math & Science

ALGEBRA IN THE REAL WORLD | The Lundberg Farms

From planting the seeds to harvesting, and everything in between, Bryce Lundberg takes students through the process of growing one of our most important staples: rice.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Frame Stress

When force is applied to something to see how it affects its shape, it is often called stress. The amount of bending can be measured as an angle, and is called the deflection.  This activity places students in a bicycle R&D lab where they must graph and predict deflection for a new bicycle frame design.

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BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL | Growing Bugs

To keep their crops healthy and free of pesticides, some farmers use good bugs that attack the bad bugs.  Meet a woman who raises and sells good bugs, like ladybugs, by the gallon.

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RIGHT AS RAIN | Predicting the Weather

From tornados to hurricanes and thunderstorms to climate change, these scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are using math and science to better understand and predict severe weather systems.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Flowers by the Millions

You buy a dozen roses - he buys three million. Plus 1,250 sunflowers, 4,000 irises, and 5,000 calla lilies. In fact, he buys more than 100 million flowers a year. His biggest week? You guessed it, the week of Valentine's Day.

Watch the movie and download a great problem solving activity!

SCIENCE CLOSE-UP | Guitar Pickups & Electromagnetism

This two-minute movie explains how a guitar pickup is made and how it converts string vibration into a signal that can be amplified.

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GEOMETRY THAT SPARKLES | Gems & Jewelry

Lines, curves, polygons and planes--gemstones and jewelry are rich in geometry. A jewelry appraiser, a jewelry historian and a Brazilian gem cutter give your students an inside look at the many facets of this dazzling subject.

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REAL WORLD MATH & SCIENCE | Testing Bats

When your students are up at bat in a game of baseball or softball, they probably aren't thinking about physics, vibration rates or the center of percussion.  But someone is.

Take a trip inside Easton Sports' research & development lab to meet the engineers and technicians who are using math, science and technology like robotics, sensors, and air cannons to design and test high-performance baseball and softball bats.

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PROBLEM SOLVING | Deep Sea Missions

The pressure at sea level is 14.7 pounds per square inch, and it increases by 14.7 pounds for every 10 meters of depth.  This algebra activity has students plot the relationship of pressure vs. depth and find the equation that represents it.

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KEEPING ANIMALS IN THE EQUATION | Studying Cheetahs

To help save an endangered species like the cheetah, you must start by collecting data about its behavior. But only the brave need apply for Susan Millard's job because her kind of study is up close and personal.

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SITE HIGHLIGHT | Inside Kay Toliver's Classroom

Watch acclaimed New York teacher Kay Toliver deliver hands-on math lessons to her class. From the exciting Tinkertoy Derby, which leads to distance, time and speed calculations, to The Apartment, in which students use concepts of area and square units to make their own floor plans, these lessons are as fun to watch as they must have been to participate in.

Watch all eight lessons here 

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