Sample Final Projects for Module 5 - Algebra Through Modeling with the TI-82, 83 Graphing Calculators

Title	Format	Author	Description
Compound Interest--The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly	HTML, MS Word	Marilyn Sallee	Material for learning about interest calculations prepared for both Beginning Algebra and Precalculus students
Compound Interest --Financing a Loan	HTML	Ann Mason	Material for learning about interest and car payments prepared for both Pre-Algebra and College Algebra students
All American Math	HTML	Elaine M. Heidenreich	Using the theme of major league baseball and trivia associated with the sport, students will learn to plot points and calculate linear equations through graphing.
Hey Dude: What's My Sine?	PDF	Raymond Ostfield	This project consists of a lesson plan and four extensive student worksheets designed to facilitate group work to help students learn how to use the sine and cosine functions to model cyclical phenomena. It assumes that students have had some exposure to elementary trigonometry of the right triangle and it includes a review of that material. It assumes that students have little or no previous exposure to modeling with trigonometric functions.
Newton's Law of Heating and Cooling	MS Word	Jill Manning	Students will work through a series of worksheets that will teach them about geometric sequences and their applications. Students will work with Newton's law of Heating and Cooling, make predictions about temperatures rising or falling and then they will prove their predictions with equations and graphs. Finally, the students will perform an experiment and use the graphing capabilities of their TI-83 calculators to find plot data and find the equation for the line of best fit.
Exponential Growth and Decay Unit	Zipped, Sketchpad, MS Word	Bill Lyon	The attached unit on exponential growth and decay should be part of an advanced algebra or pre-calculus curriculum and is best executed as part of a broader topic on exponential functions. This unit links the mathematical concepts of exponential growth with the real-world factors that may serve to limit or accelerate population growth. As such, it could be integrated with a history, social studies, or science class. Prior to this unit, students should have explored basic exponential functions such as compound interest. Students will also need to be comfortable with graphing on the TI-83 family of calculators and with preparing and graphing functions on Geometer's Sketchpad (proprietary software). Additionally, the students will need to prepare a 2-page presentation using PowerPoint software. The unit incorporates a diverse set of assessments including class participation, homework, a unit quiz, and an individual project.
An Exploration of Inverse Functions	Zipped, MS Word	Rick Hudson	This project is a comprehensive lesson on understanding inverse functions. It was designed to be used at the Algebra II level, and takes about three and half 50-minute class periods. The first lesson consists of a collaborative exploration of inverse functions, the second day formalizes the notion of inverse functions and their properties, the third day is an interdisciplinary activity (Literature) and an applications worksheet, the last day is a written quiz over the material that has been covered. Explanations of the concepts are included in the handouts and worksheets with a good range of thought provoking problems are included.
Graphing Sine and Cosine Functions	MS Word	Lynn Weiss	This lesson is a three day activity/investigation of graphing the generalized form of the sine function y = a*sin(b(x-c))+d   and the cosine function y = a*cos(b(x-c))+d.  It starts at the level of sin(x) and cos(x), and builds up to the general form.  It makes use of the graphing calculator and well written worksheets for the students.  The activity culminates in a comparison of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair Ferris Wheel and the current Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.