NASA - Rendezvous For Two
When the space shuttle launches from NASA Kennedy Space Center, it must launch within a certain time frame (called a launch window) in order to successfully dock with the ISS. Launch windows are calculated so that the space shuttle will reach an orbit that is slightly lower than the ISS, but in t...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/nasa--rendezvous-for-two
Unit Circle template
This is a one page unit circle template that you can copy and paste into a document that you are creating. To make it fit the screen, change the document settings to "float 3," and I used degrees instead of radians for all of the angles up to 180 degrees. You will also want to view in "handheld...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/unit-circle-template
Application of Maximum-Minimum Problems
Students will use a graphing approach to find the minimum costs of running a new line from a power station to a point on an island. Students will begin with a scaled drawing and follow the prompts. They will also manually collect data and find a curve of best fit.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/application-of-maximumminimum-problems
Law of Sines
Students will investigate all the cases in which the Law of Sines can be used to solve a triangle. An animation is provided in the lesson which will help students to gain a better understanding of the ambiguous case SSA.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/law-of-sines_1
Law of Sines: The Ambiguous Case
A simple model is used to illustrate the various possibilities of the ambiguous case of the Law of Sines. Students manipulate the model to create each of the possible cases and then make conjectures about the relationship between the various given measurements and the number of possible triangle...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/law-of-sines-the-ambiguous-case
Wrapping Functions
This activity introduces students to various functions of a circular angle. They are shown a unit circle and a point P that can be dragged around the circle. As the point is dragged, different measures are captured, including angle measures, linear distance, and the area of a sector. The activity...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/wrapping-functions
Kansas Chase Activity
In this activity, students will make predictions about how to win a Sprint Cup Championship.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/kansas-chase-activity
Area Under a Curve
Students will approximate the area under a polynomial curve using rectangles. Each of the polynomials in this activity represents a real-world situation to enable students to see the importance of finding the area under a curve.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/area-under-a-curve
Math Man On The Slopes
In this activity, students will practice identifying slopes with informal pictures, and can self-check their understanding with one of the measurement tools. The students will also identify the slope and intercept of a given graph and will choose the correct equation in a multiple choice format.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/math-man-on-the-slopes_1
Solving Inequalities Graphically
Students will solve inequalities graphically by setting bounds on the graph that represent the portions of the graph that satisfy the inequality. Each of the inequalities presented in this activity represent real-world situations, which should aid in students understanding the concept of inequali...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/solving-inequalities-graphically
Focus/Directrix Definition of Conics
This lesson involves observing and describing relationships between the focus and the directrix of each conic: parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/focusdirectrix-definition-of-conics
Folding Parabolas
In this activity, students graph a quadratic function and investigate its symmetry by choosing pairs of points with the same y-value. They then calculate the average of the x-values of these points and discover that not only do all the points have the same x-value, but the average is equal to the...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/folding-parabolas
Graphs of Tangent, Cotangent, Secant, and Cosecant
The goal of this activity is for students to see how the graphs of tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant are generated and related to the unit circle. A point is animated around the unit circle as data points are captured to create a scatter plot. Students discover a way to relate each of th...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/graphs-of-tangent-cotangent-secant-and-cosecant
How Much Does Bubble Gum Stretch a Rubber Band?
Students will conduct an experiment where they determine how much various quantities of bubble gum affect the length of a rubber band.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/how-much-does-bubble-gum-stretch-a-rubber-band
Horizontal and Vertical Lines
Examine the vertical and horizontal changes when moving from one point to another on a line.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/horizontal-and-vertical-lines
Properties of Parabolas
This investigation offers an approach to show students the basic definition of a parabola as the locus of all points equidistant from a fixed point (focus) and a fixed line (directrix). Students will also interpret the equation for a parabola in vertex form and gain a visual understanding of a pa...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/properties-of-parabolas
Summing up Geometric Series
This lesson involves clicking on a slider to see that the area of a square that has been systematically divided into an infinite number of pieces approaches 1.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/sum-of-infinite-geometric-series
Parameters in Secondary School: Logistics Functions
Designed for prospective secondary mathematics teachers, this activity has students predict, test and justify the effects of changing parameters d and b for the logistic function family given by f(x) = a/(1+b(e)^(cx)) + d. Reflection questions draw attention to the role of claims and evidence, in...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/parameters-in-secondary-school-logistics-functions
Quadratic Formula and Discriminant
This interactive quiz first steps students through the derivation of the quadratic formula by completing the square, and then generates random quadratics for which students need to show the steps of solving by first finding the value of the discriminant, and then using it in the formula. There ar...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/quadratic-formula-and-discriminant
NASA - Newton's Cool in the Pool
To prepare for spacewalks, astronauts train at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). NASA also uses the NBL to develop flight procedures and verify hardware compatibility -- all of which are necessary to achieve mission success. In this problem, students are presented with a power outage, in...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/nasa--newtons-cool-in-the-pool
Compositions Graphically
Students will use graphs and tables to find compositions of functions. Two of the compositions presented in this activity represent real-world situations, which should aid in students understanding the concept of compositions.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/compositions-graphically
Modeling Engine Power
In this activity, students use the TI-Nspire handheld to determine if a linear model or a quadratic model best fits a set of given data involving engine power. Students look at the pattern of data points and the sum of squares of the deviations to determine which model fits the data.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/modeling-engine-power
Have You Lost Your Marbles?
In this activity, students will create a bridge between two chairs and use a slinky to attach a bucket to the bridge. Students will add objects to the bucket and determine the relationship between the number of items added and the distance from the floor.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/have-you-lost-your-marbles
Maximizing the Area of a Garden
In this activity, students explore the area of a garden with a rectangular shape that is attached to a barn. Exactly three sides of the garden must be fenced. Students will sketch possible gardens and enter their data into a spreadsheet.https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/maximizing-the-area-of-a-garden
Investigating the Graphs of Quadratic Equations
A graph of a quadratic equation will be shown. Also shown is the equation of the parabola in vertex form: y = a*(x - h)^(2) + v. And an ordered pair for one the points on the parabola will be shown on the screen. Use the pointer tool to double click on the equation on the graph screen. This wil...https://education.ti.com/en/activity/detail/investigating-the-graphs-of-quadratic-equations