Math Man

This activity, designed for first year Algebra students, shows a practical, relevant application for linear equations. Students will model the cost of a monthly cable bill and model the cost of a streaming device. Students will solve a system of equations to help decide which TV viewing experience is right for them, and when the steaming package will have paid for itself.

This real world activity will help students determine what they can afford when looking into buying their first car. Using the amortization formula, students will determine how much they can borrow as a loan. Additionally students will learn about the interest they have to pay on a loan, and will determine ways to reduce the amount of interest they will pay over the life of a loan.

In this activity by Mr. McDevitt, students will graph data that compares a MLB player’s season home run total with his age. Students will use regression to find the best fitting function for the data and graph the function by finding the vertex. Students will also interpret the vertex. We will use the quadratic formula and compare to the x-intercepts of our graph and finally make a prediction about a current player's career.

Want a real life application of Algebra? Want your students to take responsibility for their grade? This project created by the Math man has students write the simplified variable expression that can be used to calculate their grade based on a given weighting system. Students will write the grade expression for all of their courses and program Microsoft Excel with these expressions. Students will now have a personalized grade book they can use the whole year round to figure out their grade.

In this basketball themed, super fun, activity students will shoot baskets and calculate the average percentage made from certain positions on the court. Students will use regression analysis to model the percentage shot as a function of the position on the court. Students will test how accurate the model is and give possible reasons why the model may be valid or invalid.

Looking for hands on learning, this is the activity for you. In this engaging activity students will act as the participants / researchers of an experiment, and have fun doing it. Students will write the linear equation that will model how long it takes to do a audience wave with a certain amount of people. This activity allows students to create the data, making the lesson all the more engaging and worthwhile.

Can you use algebra to predict the weather? Who can I trust to give me the most accurate weather forecast? Could I make a forecast that is better then the pros? This activity created by the Math Man will answer such questions. Students will look at past trends to predict the weather for the upcoming weeks and compare the accuracy of multiple weather forecast services with their own forecast. Students will use regression to discover how accurate weather forecasts are.