Real World Math & Science

University of Massachusetts > STEM > December 2007 | Real World Math & Science

Testing Bats

Most of your students have swung a baseball bat.  Many may know what it's like to hit one on the "sweet spot."  But how many have figured out how to use the principles of momentum exchange to hit the ball out of the park?   Take your students inside the Easton Sports Research & Development Lab to meet the engineers who are using math and science to create high-performing bats.

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NOW BOARDING | Spaceports

Will spaceports be for today's students what airports were for their great grandparents? The possibility of a spaceport is not so far off.  The "personal spaceflight revolution" is underway, and building and operating these new launch facilities will require science, technology, engineering, math, imagination and problem solving skills.

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IN THE FORECAST | Predicting the Weather

The past couple of weeks have brought some rough weather to much of the country.  It is the job of these scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to use math and science to help us better understand and predict these types of severe weather systems.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | Maglev Trains

PROBLEM SOLVING | Recycling Computers

These days most people are good about recycling the basics: cans, bottles, plastics and paper. But what about cell phones, televisions and old computers? Electronics are the fastest growing type of waste in the world, with more than 250 million computers and 100 million cell phones being discarded each year just in the United States. So what's the solution? Find out, inside California's largest electronic recycling facility.
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UNDERWATER GARDEN | Coral Reefs

These underwater gardens are an important part of our ecosystem. Biologist Joanie Kleypus explains how climate change is affecting our oceans' coral reefs and why it's important to preserve them.
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TOP DOLLAR | Printing Money

To what lengths does the Secret Service go to prevent counterfeit money? Watch the movie to see the science behind making our money.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | The Skateboard Designer

Tim Piumarta took his love for skateboarding, combined it with his knowledge of mathematics and became one of the world's most influential skateboard designers. Share this Futures Channel favorite with your students to show them how math skills are essential to a good ride.
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PROBLEM SOLVING | Space in Space

When engineers at NASA started developing the new Orion space vehicle, they decided to reduce its diameter from 5.5 meters to 5 meters. This activity has students work with this real world scenario to explore the challenges that this change in size created for the engineering team.
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URBAN SANCTUARY | Landscape Architects

When most people think of architects, they think of buildings - but what about the parks, plazas and gardens that adorn our cities? By using a combination of art, history and geometry, Shannon Nichol and Jennifer Guthrie, from the Seattle firm of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, explain how their company created one of Chicago's most beautiful landmarks: the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park.
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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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PROBLEM SOLVING | Water Geometry

Landscape Architects want to be sure that the plants and flowers in their gardens stay vibrant and healthy. This activity has students solve a problem that they would face if designing a garden in a grand scale - they must ensure that every square inch gets enough water.
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NICE RIDE | Creating Cars

Being able to drive a car is something most students want. Have they ever considered having a job designing the cars of the future? Take your students inside Ford Motor Company to see how designers and engineers use math to steer the design of their concept cars in the right direction.
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BON APPETIT! | Operating a Restaurant

There's more to great food than the ingredients. The restaurant business is a perfect training ground for solving problems.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | Wind Farming

Soaring hundreds of feet into the sky, pulling power out of thin air-wind turbines have become one of the icons of the green energy movement, but behind the scenes it's all about math and science. From data analysis to problem solving to power output calculations, show your students what it takes to create a renewable energy source.
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PROBLEM SOLVING | Computer Problem

What kinds of problems would you have to solve if you wanted to manufacture 100,000 computers a day? In this lesson, students learn that a key step to problem solving is being able to clearly state the problem.
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SMART COOKIES | The Bakery

Whether he's making mouth-watering chocolate croissants or perfectly flaky apricot danishes, this baker has to make sure that he has just the right amount of each ingredient. What's one of his most important tools? Math.
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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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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 | Ferret Figures

Imagine it's your job to save a nearly extinct species of ferrets native to North America. What math skills could you use to give yourself the best chance of success?
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STRONG SHAPES | Bicycle Design

Whether designing bikes strong enough for extreme sports or fast enough for the world's best cyclists, understanding geometry is key. Show your students why.
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IN THE FORECAST | Predicting the Weather

From tornados to hurricanes and thunderstorms to climate change, these nine 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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WHY DO I NEED TO LEARN THIS? | Math on Location

Our DVD library, with 67 Futures Channel Movies, gives you easy access to a collection of real world careers that show your students why they need to learn math and science. Find out why so many educators from across the country are getting the Digital Video Resource Library for their classrooms. See how it works by using our online demo!
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© 2007 The Futures Channel, Inc.

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