Real World Mathematics
Real World MathematicsOne of the challenges facing mathematics teachers is convincing their students that there is a place for mathematics in the real world. The goal of this page is to collect examples of those applications. We encourage the submission of additional examples.
The (un)Truth About Statistics - a discussion of the statistics used in the media and how the formation of the questions can affect the survey results.
1993 Tampa Bay Oil Spill -- The PORTS-based hazardous spill trajectory modeling concept was (unfortunately) tested on August 10, 1993, when a collision occurred between two inbound fuel barges and an outbound phosphate freighter. Using a simple vector analysis routine and the PORTS wind and current data, a trajectory for the spill was calculated using wind direction as a cardinal direction, wind speed in knots, current direction in degrees true, and current speed in meters per second. At each hour, speed and direction for the oil movement were computed based on these data using a generic Minerals Management Service algorithm.
Apply Lessons: Applications of Mathematics 9 and 10 -- A collection of lesson plans illustrating the application of mathematical skills in a variety of job settings.
The Chance Database -- This data base contains materials designed to help teach a Chance course or a more standard introductory probability or statistics course. The Chance course is a case study quantitative literacy course developed cooperatively by Middlebury, Grinnell, Spelman, University of California San Diego, University of Minnesota, and Dartmouth. The aim of Chance is to make students more informed, and critical, readers of current news that uses probability and statistics as reported in daily newspapers such as The New York Times and current journals and magazines such as Chance, Science, Nature, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Fermi Questions -- The Fermi Questions Library features classic Fermi questions with annotated solutions, a list of Fermi questions for use with students, Fermi questions with a Louisiana twist, and Fermi activities for the K-12 classroom. Fermi questions receive their name from Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist known for his participation in the Los Alamos atomic bomb project and the development of quantum theory. Fermi questions emphasize estimation, numerical reasoning, communicating in mathematics, and questioning skills. Students often believe that "word problems" have one exact answer and that the answer is derived in a unique manner. Fermi questions encourage multiple approaches, emphasize process rather than "the answer", and promote nontraditional problem solving strategies.
Math Awareness Month 2000 -- Math Spans All Dimensions is the theme of Mathematics Awareness Month - April 2000. Mathematics Awareness Month provides the mathematical sciences community with opportunities for promoting the importance and versatility of mathematics, and its relationship to our daily lives.
Mathematics and Elections -- A collection of lesson plans exploring the mathematics of elections. The site also includes links to articles analyzing the 2000 presidential election. From the Math Forum.
NASA K-12 Internet Initiative: Online Interactive Projects -- The projects--which are called "Sharing NASA" --allow students to share in the excitement of authentic scientific and engineering pursuits like high-altitude astronomy, spacecraft explorations of distant planets, and space-based life sciences research all of which can be integrated with the study of mathematics.
NJNIE Classroom Projects Page -- The New Jersey Networking Infrastructure in Education team sponsors and designs projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet. They focus on projects that utilize realtime data available from the Internet, and collaborative projects that utilize the Internet's potential to reach peers and experts around the world. Each project has a brief description and links to the National Science Standards and NCTM math standards it supports. Included are projects for elementary, middle school and high school levels.
The Noon Observation Project -- The Noon Observation project is a joint effort among interested schools worldwide in accurately estimating the circumference of the earth.