Education Technology


Hairpin Curves

Activity Overview

This activity uses derivatives to determine whether a vehicle of a certain length can traverse sharp curves on a trip up a mountain.

Before the Activity

See the attached Activity PDF file(s) for detailed instructions for this activity.

During the Activity

Follow the procedures outlined in the activity.
Students will:

  • Be able to use derivatives and type in a program to determine the sharpness of a curve that a vehicle of a given length can navigate.
  • After the Activity

  • Review student results:
  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary