Audience

The content objective for this activity ranges from a deeper understanding of rates of change (slope) and functions with middle-level students, to a real life exploration into non-differentialble points and why limits DNE for calculus students. In both cases, the activity stays the same, but the follow up questions change.

Outline

1. Students predict what motion would be required to create a variety of graphs.
2. Students challenge their prediction by creating the graphs of their motion with a CBR motion detector connected to a TI-84 + calculator.
3. Students take what they learned, and repeat steps 1 and 2 for all graphs.
4. Discuss impossible graph components (vertical lines, cusps, corners), discuss limits of the slope (velocity) and how that connects to calculus, physics, and our every day life.