Parabolas!
It’s a shame that we’re just finishing up Quadratics Functions in my IB Math SL course today. After being pointed to the Radio Lab podcasts from NPR by my buddy Shane, I found this video on parabolas in the real world.
It would be interesting to start the unit next year by doing the same pendulum experiment, showing them this video and then discussing the imagery that is shown.
If you were going to center an entire unit on quadratics around a single concept/idea/question, what would it be? Using the MYP holy triumvarate of Significant Concepts, Unit Questions and Area of Interaction focus, this video compels me to think of universal laws (SC), “Why are parabolas used in art and architechture?” (UQ), and Human Ingenuity (AOI).
(For the non-MYP crowd out there, what would be your theme of your parabolas unit?)
I didn’t realise that pendulums were parabolic. Your post made me think of this famous piece of experimental music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4JERTjJw0
Another possible area of exploration… don’t know how or why…
Piece is called Pendulum by American Composer Steve Reich. One of my favs, could listen to it all day!
Enjoy!
@stangey – Pendulums themselves are not parabolic but the relationship between the length of the pendulum and the period is. It would be such an simple in-class investigation to do with students. And it would be awesome to do some interdisciplinary stuff between math, science and music related to Pendulum Music!