Activity Overview
Students stand in a line and send a tap around the class much like a Mexican wave. How long will it take for the wave to travel around the class? How long would it take to travel around 100 people?
Objectives
Continue and create sequences involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Describe the rule used to create the sequence - ACMNA133
Vocabulary
Sequence, pattern, rule, formula
About the Lesson
A Mexican wave travels around a sporting arena, how long does it take to travel around the entire arena? Students can simulate this idea by standing in a line and tapping one another on the shoulder to send the ‘wave’ around the room. What happens to the total amount of time as additional people are added to the line? These mathematical concepts can be compared with more complex scientific principles such as the way electricity moves through wires, small particles called electrons bump one another sending energy from one place to another.
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