Using a variety of Web resources relating to the solar system and microworlds, students will explore the Internet and note occurrences of objects and measurements that are very, very small and very, very large. This lesson is a fun way to review basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, finding averages, and working with percents. More importantly, it shows how these skills are applied to real life situations that are of particular interest to this age group. Students learn to do Web research in the field of mathematics. They learn about mathematical proofs and apply them to the Pythagorean theorem.
Students also explore the general ideas of Fermat's Last Theorem.
Understanding Pi Students learn the mathematical value of pi through the process of measuring circumference. Students conduct hands-on calculations of cylindrical objects, demonstrate the properties of a circle, and discover for themselves how pi works. Virtual Polyhedra and the Real World Using Web resources, students will study the complex geometric structures, polyhedra. Students will examine virtual reality models, create three-dimensional paper models, and view photographic, graphic, and animated examples of polyhedra. In this lesson, students will use the Internet to discover the identities of several current and historically significant mathematicians.