NUMB3RS - Season 3 - "Blackout" - Maintaining Balance
- Ruler
- 8 identical rectangular prisms (meter sticks work best; a deck of cards, mathematics books, or CD cases will also work).
- The game of JENGA® is optional.
NUMB3RS - Season 3 - "Blackout" - Maintaining Balance
In the episode, there is a series of attacks on the substations that provide electricity to the city of Los Angeles. The network of substations in a city is set up so that if one substation is knocked out, then the other substations provide more electricity to make up for the missing service. Charlie explains the concept of a cascading failure using the game of JENGA®.
Students will explore the game of JENGA® and determine how to avoid bringing down the network.
Download the attached PDF and look over the Teacher Page.
Discuss the materials from the Student Page with your class.
Encourage students to explore web sites and questions from the Extensions Page.
Before the Activity Files
- Ruler
- 8 identical rectangular prisms (meter sticks work best; a deck of cards, mathematics books, or CD cases will also work).
- The game of JENGA® is optional.
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