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Activity Overview |
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Students develop models for a light year and compare numbers written in scientific notation and in standard notation.
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Before the Activity |
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Understand that light travels at 186,000 miles per second and that the distance that light travels in a year is called a light year
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 42 - 44 from the attached Student PDF file for the class
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During the Activity |
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Distribute the pages to the class.
Follow the activity procedures:
Calculate how far light travels in a second, in a minute, in an hour, in a day, and in a year; and write the values in both, scientific and standard notations
Determine the exact value of a light year and note the calculator key stroke sequence that gives this value
Calculate the number of light years it would take Chris to travel a distance of 3000 miles each week for a period of 10 years
Compute the number of trips one would need to make around the equator (circumference 24,000 miles) to travel 186,000 miles
Find out how far a space-shuttle could travel in one year, if its speed is 17,500 miles per hour
Determine the number of years it would take to reach the star Alpha Centauri, which is around 4 light years away from Earth
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After the Activity |
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Students complete the Student Activity pages.
Review student results
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary
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Other Downloads |
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view standards alignment
view textbook alignment
Subject Area:
Math : PreAlgebra : Nonlinear Functions
Author:
Texas Instruments
Level:
5-8
Activity Time:
60 Minutes
Device:
TI-30Xa, TI-30X IIB, TI-30X IIS, TI-34 II Explorer Plus™
Apps:
Software:
Accessories:
Other:
This is Activity 6 from the EXPLORATIONS Book:
Investigating Mathematics with Calculators in the Middle Grades
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