Education Technology


Back In Time?

Activity Overview

Students will explore the definition of a function through use of a graph, a set of ordered pairs, and an input-output diagram.

Key Steps

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    In the first problem students will explore a position vs time graph. After being introduced to the definition of a function, they will determine if the graph is a function of time and then update the graph to shown a function.

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    Then students will calculate the output values for given input values using the distance formula d = 0.5at2 for when a = 12 ft/s2. The first set of input values are for t and the second set of input values are for d.

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    In the last couple of problems and in the extension, students will use a function machine. Students will change the input value on the left and the output value on the right will update each time. Once students reach the goal output, the function will appear in the box and encouragement words appear. Students are to try to determine the function before entering the correct input value.