standard_description: Derive the equation of a parabola given a focus and directrix.
problem_activity: Warm-up
This warm-up helps students recall the use of the Pythagorean Theorem and right triangle trigonometry. They’ll use these concepts in subsequent activities.
Launch
Provide students with access to scientific calculators.
Student Facing
Calculate the height of each solid. Round your answers to the nearest tenth if needed.
A
[IMG]
B
[IMG]
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Anticipated Misconceptions
The height is not drawn in on the cylinder, so students may not be able to visualize the right triangle involved in the problem. Encourage them to draw in the height and think back to other problems from prior units involving angles and degree measurements.
Students may be uncertain how to round the first answer. Remind them that 16.0 is considered a “rounded” answer because the additional decimal digits to the right have been dropped.
Activity Synthesis
Ask students what strategies they used, and how they chose those strategies. Invite them to explain why they can use the Pythagorean Theorem for the cone problem but not the cylinder problem. Remind students that they can use their reference chart to recall the trigonometric ratio definitions.


aligns: no