Activity Overview
In "Burn Rate," mail bombs kill a series of seemingly unrelated people. Don asks Charlie to help uncover the source and the link that connects the people. Don's team has determined the locations where the letter bombs were mailed, where the components were bought, etc. Using geo-profiling, Charlie is able to find the likely starting point where the bomber set out to buy his bomb materials.
Students will do their own geo-profiling by finding the centroid of irregular polygons.
Before the Activity
Download the attached PDF and look over the Teacher Page.
During the Activity
Discuss the materials from the Student Page with your class. Share the attached CENTROID calculator program for students to check their work.
After the Activity
Encourage students to explore web sites and questions from the Extensions Page.