Although I enjoyed several components of this unit, by far my favorite and what I feel to be the one I produced the best work is the Similarity part of the project. It was something that I felt I understood and I had fun while doing so, which is always a huge plus. Mathematically I have developed many skills throughout the school year. Whether it’s finding information and applying it into graphs, or being able to calculate the volume of a given three dimensional shape, I have learned A LOT. Another important thing, which I will carry with me into the future is the ability to apply information and put it into T-I-84 Plus Calculator (not an easy feat by the way). Similarity is much as it sounds (the similarity between two objects, shapes, etc.). You can determine if two figures are similar if you can get from one to another through some combinations of translations, reflections, rotations AND DILATION'S (so you can scale up and down). All circles are similar to each other, all squares are similar to each other, and all equilateral triangles are similar to each other. As for the real world, Similar triangles can be used for many different things. In architecture similar triangles are used to represent doors and how far they swing open. Also when you use shadows that make triangles to find the height of an object. You can use that find the height of actual objects and they can also be used to stabilize a bridge.
Problem of the Week Reflection - Not only do problems of the week allow me to apply writing skills that I have previously learned to create and apply my math skills into a write-up, but they give me an opportunity to uniquely solve a problem that is not tedious or boring. Throughout my experience with working with POW's, I have been able to successfully communicate my ideas clearly (more than I have in any math class I have ever taken), and most importantly they have allowed me to develop a growth mindset around mathematics. The following list shows POW's completed this year:
Semester 1, POW 1 – The Knights
Semester 1, POW 2 – The Triangle Problem
Semester 2, POW 1 – Slices of Pie
Semester 2, POW 2 – Pick Up Triangles
Semester 2, POW 3 – Solar POW
Semester 2, POW 4 -- Almost A Rubik's Cube
Problem of the Week Reflection - Not only do problems of the week allow me to apply writing skills that I have previously learned to create and apply my math skills into a write-up, but they give me an opportunity to uniquely solve a problem that is not tedious or boring. Throughout my experience with working with POW's, I have been able to successfully communicate my ideas clearly (more than I have in any math class I have ever taken), and most importantly they have allowed me to develop a growth mindset around mathematics. The following list shows POW's completed this year:
Semester 1, POW 1 – The Knights
Semester 1, POW 2 – The Triangle Problem
Semester 2, POW 1 – Slices of Pie
Semester 2, POW 2 – Pick Up Triangles
Semester 2, POW 3 – Solar POW
Semester 2, POW 4 -- Almost A Rubik's Cube