Students determine the length of a bungee cord made of rubber bands that will allow a toy doll to fall as close as possible to the ground without hitting it. Teams of students collect data using cords of varying lengths up to 6 or 8 rubber bands. Then they graph these data, determine a trend line and its equation, and extrapolate to the desired distance the doll is to fall. Activity sheets, a solution to the problem, and links to the NCTM site that inspired the problem are included.
Learning Objectives:
Several real-world situations motivate the study of linear functions, their parameters, and behaviors. The contextual situations lead to the abstraction of function and provide tools for understanding and long-term memory. Situations include pay as a restaurant waiter, lawn mowing, manual labor, etc.