Berry College Math Trail

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Berry College Math Trail

• Carla Moldavan
• Professor of Mathematics Education
• Berry College
• Rome, Georgia

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Station Chapel
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Question One

• Estimate in meters the length of the aisle from
  the back door to the first step at the front of
  the sanctuary. Find the actual length by
  measuring with a trundle wheel.
• Georgia Performance Standards Grade 5Maintain
  number sense and measurement of length
• Estimate _______________
• Measurement ___________

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Question Two

• Estimate how many sixth-graders could sit
  comfortably on one pew in the sanctuary. Based
  on that estimate, how many sixth-graders could be
  seated on two pews? Three pews? Four pews?
  Make a table to organize this information.
  Determine how many sixth-graders could be seated
  in the downstairs area of the sanctuary. Write
  an equation in the form y kx to express the
  relationship between the total number of people
  who can be seated (y) and the number of rows (x).
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6A Students will investigate relationships
  between two quantities that vary.
• M6 A.1 Students will understand the meaning of
  ratio and how to use it.
• M6 A.2 c. Apply methods for solving proportions.
• M6 A.2d. Write and solve equations in the form y
  kx where x and y are whole numbers, decimals,
  or fractions.

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Question Three

• How many small rectangular panes of glass are in
  each window of the chapel? How many are there in
  two windows? In three? In four? How many small
  rectangular panes of glass are there altogether
  in the chapel?
• Organize this information in a table.
• Write an equation in the form y kx to express
  the relationship between the total number of
  rectangular panes and the number of windows.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• (See prior question. The same standards are
  addressed.)

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Question Four

• Walk outdoors to the south side of the chapel and
  locate the grave of Martha Berry, the founder of
  Berry College. How old was Miss Berry when she
  died? How long ago did she die?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• Grade 5Maintain whole number computation

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Station Flagpole
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Question One

• Look at the fields and think of all the work they
  require. Suppose one of the fields has an area
  of 8 ½ acres. A student worker on a tractor can
  mow ¾ acre in an hour. How many hours will it
  take to mow the field?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 N1dMultiply and divide fractions and mixed
  numbers.
• M6 N1fSolve problems involving fractions,
  decimals, and percents and justify the process.

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Question Two

• Look at the signs and note how you would go if
  you wanted to visit the mountain campus. On a
  map for the Berry math trail a distance of 1 ½
  miles is represented by 5 inches. How many
  inches on the map will it take to represent the 4
  miles on Stretch Road between the main campus and
  the mountain campus?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 G1dSolve problems involving scale drawings.

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Question Three

• Record the color of the cars that go by in the
  next five minutes. Make a graph to illustrate
  your data.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 D1aConstruct frequency distributions, tables,
  and graphs using data.

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Question Four

• Explain how you might come up with a good
  estimate for the height of the flagpole.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 P2Students will investigate, develop, and
  evaluate mathematical arguments.
• M6 P3Students will use the language of
  mathematics to express ideas precisely.

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Station Ford Buildings
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Question One

• Measure the length, width, and depth of the
  reflecting pool to the nearest decimeter. What
  is the volume of the pool?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 M2Students will use appropriate units of
  measure for finding the perimeter, area, and
  volume and express the answer using the
  appropriate unit.
• M6 M3Students will determine the volume of solid
  figures (right prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and
  cones).

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Question Two

• What is the total surface area of the sides and
  bottom of the pool?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 M2Students will use appropriate units of
  measure for finding the perimeter, area, and
  volume and express the answer using the
  appropriate unit.
• M6 M4Students will determine the surface area of
  solid figures (right prisms and cylinders).

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Question Three

• The Alumni Center is housed in the
  Ford Buildings. The total number of living
  alumni of Berry College is 21,766. Could this
  number be divided into 2 groups with the same
  number in each group? 3 groups with the same
  number in each group? 4 groups with the same
  number in each group? 5 groups with the same
  number in each group?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M5 N1cStudents will further develop their
  understanding of whole numbers (analyze and use
  divisibility rules).
• M6 N1aStudents will understand the meaning of
  the four arithmetic operations as related to
  positive rational numbers and percents using
  these concepts to solve problems (use factors and
  multiples).

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Question Four

• Look across the fields and count how many deer
  you see. Suppose that the fields you are looking
  at consist of ten acres. If you saw that many
  deer on every ten acres of Berry College and the
  campus consists of 28,000 acres, what would the
  deer population be?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 A1Students will understand the meaning of
  ratio and how to use it.
• M6 A 2eUse proportional reasoning including
  percents to solve problems

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Station Library
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Question One

• Go to the periodicals shelves and estimate the
  number of journals that the library subscribes to
  in print form.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 PStudents will apply mathematical concepts
  and skills in the context of authentic problems
  and will understand concepts rather than merely
  following the sequence of procedures.

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Question Two

• Ask a worker the actual number of books checked
  out in the 2003 2004 school year. Assuming
  these were all checked out by students (not
  really true) and there are about 2000 students,
  what is the average number of books checked out
  per year per student?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 P1cDetermine the operation(s) needed to solve
  a problem.

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Question Three

• Find the section of the library with call numbers
  beginning with QA. (These will be mathematics
  books). Find the number of pages in five
  different books. Find the mean and median for
  the number of pages in these books.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M7D1c. Analyze data with respect to measure of
  variation (range) and measures of central
  tendency (mean, median, and mode), including
  outliers.

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Question Four

• Find a book about mathematicians. Look in the
  index and find the pages to read to learn about
  Hypatia. Write down three sentences to help you
  remember who Hypatia was.

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Station Science Building Lobby
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Question One

• Count the number of steps going from the first to
  the second floor. How many stairs would be
  needed to go to the eighth-floor if the building
  had that many floors? Make a table showing the
  relationship between the number of floors and the
  number of stairs needed. Describe the pattern
  and explain how you would get the number of
  stairs needed for a certain number of floors (for
  example, 100 floors).
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 A2aAnalyze and describe patterns arising from
  function rules, tables, and graphs.
• M6 P2Students will investigate, and evaluate
  mathematical arguments.

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Question Two

• Look inside the elevator and find the maximum
  weight allowed. How much does an average
  sixth-grader weigh? About how many sixth-graders
  should be allowed to ride the elevator at the
  same time?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 PStudents will apply mathematical concepts
  and skills in the context of authentic problems
  and will understand concepts rather than merely
  following the sequence of procedures.
• M6 P1c. Determine the operation(s) needed to
  solve a problem.

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Question Three

• Observe the next ten people who enter or exit the
  building. What fractional part is wearing jeans?
  What is the probability that the next person who
  comes in or goes out of the building will be
  wearing jeans?
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6 D2aPredict the probability of a given event
  through trials/simulations (experimental
  probability).

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Question Four

• What do you think would happen to the length of
  time it takes the pendulum to swing from one side
  to the other if the pendulum were half as long?
  Use string and other materials provided to devise
  a way to test your conjecture.
• Georgia Performance Standards
• M6AStudents will investigate relationships
  between two quantities that vary.
• M6 P2Students will investigate, develop, and
  evaluate mathematical arguments.

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Station Krannert Student Center
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Question One

• Check the price of a box of Duncan Hines cake
  mix. A certain math professor buys her cake mix
  on sale at the grocery instead for .79. How
  much more would the box of cake mix cost if she
  bought it at Valhalla?

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Question Two

• Check the price of Combo 3 for Pizza. The combo
  includes a slice of daily pizza, a garden side
  salad, and a fountain soda. If a piece of daily
  pizza by itself costs 2.49, how much is a
  customer paying for the garden side salad and
  fountain soda together if he buys the combo?

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Question Three

• Check the price of a 33.8 oz. bottle of plain
  Dasani water. What is the price per ounce of the
  water?

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Question Four

• A customer in Valhalla buys a chef salad, a
  blueberry parfait, and a 33.8 oz. bottle of plain
  Dasani water. How much change will the customer
  receive from a 10 bill?

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Question Five

• In the Starbucks coffee area, check the price
  of a fruit smoothie. If each person in your team
  of four students and your chaperone wants to get
  a fruit smoothie, what will the total cost be?
  Include 7 sales tax.

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Question Six

• In the Berry College bookstore, Mrs. Mitchell,
  the manager, said that our visiting sixth-graders
  could have a 10 discount. Check the price on
  the hooded gray and pink sweatshirt. What would
  the discount on that item be?

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Question Seven

• In the bookstore check the price of the Berry
  postcards. How many postcards could Mrs. Bennett
  buy with 3.00? Remember that she will have to
  pay 7 sales tax, but first she will take off the
  10 discount.