Week 4B
math in stem
Objectives:
To illustrate to Teacher-Candidates how English Language Arts(both reading and writing) and Mathematics are integral to STEM Education
To integrate mathematics via data recording, display, and computer programming
Mathematics Literacy
In the elementary grades, math is commonly taught by classroom teachers, sometimes with the assistance of a math coach. These educators share the responsibility of making vital connections between math and literacy; hence there are references to math in this Framework and references to literacy in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics.
When math is referred to in the ELA/literacy Framework, it is with the assumption that any reading, writing, speaking, and listening and language work in math will be closely aligned to the grade-level standards for mathematical content and the standards for mathematical practice in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics.
Mathematics and Modeling
Central to both science and engineering is the concept of modeling- a physical and/or mathematical model that predicts the behavior of systems, whether in the natural world(science), such as Newton's law of gravitation, or the human-made world(engineering).
These models can either be formally expressed in the form of equations, or physically in the form of models.
The parabolic path of a football can be described by these two equations:
y = Vyt - 0.5gt2
y = Vyt - 0.5gt2
x =Vxt
x =Vxt
y is the height at any time (t)
Vy is the vertical component of the football's initial velocity
g is acceleration due to Earth's gravity, 9.8 m/s2
x is the horizontal distance of the ball at any time (t)
Vx is the horizontal component of the football's initial velocity
Mathematics skills in STEM Projects:
Balloon Cars:
Calculate the volume of a balloon
Measure speed and acceleration
Graph position vs time
Sinking and Floating:
Predict load capacity of a clay or aluminum foil boat
Predict load capacity of a foam raft based on its volume
Domes:
Calculate length segments for a 2V and 3V geodesic dome
Calculate interior volume of a 12" diameter
Egg Drop
Calculate dynamic load on a landing egg with different types of cushioning or drag
Light Explorations
Calculate angles of reflection for a periscope
Calculate angles of refraction
Parachutes
Calculate area of parachutes of different sizes
Calculate effective drag based on terminal velocity
Solar Oven
Design shape for a parabolic mirror for a given diameter
STEM Walks
Graph numbers and densities of difference plant species in a survey
Scratch Geometric Art
Calculate angles for different designs
See Scratch Math-based projects at https://fullsteam.mit.edu/week-10-package-get-creative-with-math/
Edutopia: Using Science to Bring Literature to Life
https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-science-bring-literature-life
Science Note-taking
https://www.calacademy.org/educators/science-notebooks-for-notetaking
More from Vi Hart:
Hexaflexagons https://youtu.be/VIVIegSt81k
Hexaflexagons 2 https://youtu.be/paQ10POrZh8
What's up with Pythagoras? https://youtu.be/X1E7I7_r3Cw
What's up with Noises? https://youtu.be/i_0DXxNeaQ0
Metachirality https://youtu.be/3ONwD9a9DWs
STL Files
Files for 3D printing of 3D shapes are in a format known as STL, short for "Standard Triangle Language", as any 3D shape can be approximated as a series of interconnected triangles.
However, free-form shapes require many more triangles than geometric shapes; hence 3D files of free-corm shapes can be quite large.
Mathematics K-8 Frameworks(excerpts):
Above: Scratch art with Turtlestich embroidery