Nothing is as exciting as a “challenge” activity for students. In this STEAM challenge, you’ll see how students
interact, manipulate and create solutions in and through math, engineering and the arts.
THE CHALLENGE
Mathematics students must help rescue a (toy) soldier or princess (figurine) by transporting the (toy) solider or
princess (figurine) in a carrier down a zip line. The scenario or situation involves using a zip line to rescue a
soldier or princess from a tower 4 feet above the ground to a point on the ground 3 feet from the tower.
Step 1 – Individual Mathematical Testing
First, students represent the zip line graphically on a
coordinate plane. Reviewing the scenario description,
students determine that the line graphed on a coordinate
plane will have a y-intercept of (0,4) and a x-intercept of
(3,0) where the y-axis measures vertical distance traveled
or the altitude of the soldier/princess and the x-axis
measures horizontal distance traveled or the ground
distance covered by the soldier/princess. After plotting
both the y-intercept and the x-intercept points on a given
coordinate plan, students connect the points to form a line
segment graphed only in the first quadrant of the
coordinate plane.
Second, students represent the zip line as a linear equation in
slope-intercept form, or y = mx + b, where m is the slope of the line and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept.
Analyzing the graph, students determine the slope of the zip line to be -4/3 and, understanding that the y-intercept
of the zipline is (0, 4), students write the equation of the zip line in slope-intercept form as: y = -4/3x + 4
Using the Pythagorean Theorem, students can determine the length of the zip line or the minimum amount of
string) needed to construct the zip line.
STEAMed Magazine
12
October 2016 Edition