Fireworks

The Central Problem

The central problem of this unit involves sending up rockets to create a fireworks display. The trajectory of the rocket is a parabola; this unit continues the algebraic investigations of the Year 2 unit Solve It!, with a special focus on quadratic expressions, equations, and functions. Students see that they can use algebra to find the vertex of the graph of a quadratic function by writing the quadratic expression in a particular form.

 

Fireworks

Topic                                                 Page in your book

The World of Quadratics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3

Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .  4

The Standard POW Write-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6

Homework 1:A Corral Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8

POW 1: Growth of Rat Populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9

The Ups and Downs of Quadratics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Quadratics and Other Polynomials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Homework 2: Rats in June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .16

Homework 3: Product Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Factored Intercepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Homework 4: Make Your Own Intercepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Revisiting a Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Homework 5: Factoring Begun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .24

Who’s Perfect? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  25

Homework 6: More About Perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26

The Same but Different . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Homework 7: Make Your Own Vertices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Vertex Form Begun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  30

Homework 8: How Much Can They Drink? . . . . . . . . . . .. 31

Homework 9: Corrals and Pens Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Fireworks Height Revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Homework 10: Quadratic Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Homework 11:“Fireworks” Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Supplemental Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  37

Check It Out! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Imagine a Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

More and More Mysterious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  42

Factors of Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Twin Primes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Number Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Vertex Forms Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Vertex Form and Intercepts Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Quadratic Symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Equilateral Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

What About One? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

 

I am Under Construction