Vectors

Eileen Wild Retired

Objective:

The student is introduced to the concept that both magnitude and direction are
necessary when giving instructions for locating a place. Modifications of this
material make it suitable for grades three through twelve.

Materials Needed:

Map transparencies------Chicago Loop, School neighborhood, I.I.T. campus,
Cartesian graph paper
Chalk board
Meter stick

Suggested Strategy:

Activity 1. Using the Chicago Loop transparency, the class is
invited to take an architectural tour of the Loop. We
meet in front of Sears Tower and I inquire as to the
route that must be taken to reach the Civic Opera House.
The student who answers must give both the number of
blocks and the direction. The next step is to go to the
chalk board and draw, using arrows whose lengths
represents the number of blocks and whose tips point in
the correct direction, the route to be taken. This
process is repeated for several different locations in
the Loop.

Activity 2. Students are shown a map of the I.I.T. campus on the
Overhead projector. After dividing the class into
groups of two, they are given different locations to
find on the campus. The unit of distance chosen for
this exercise was the pace. Upon returning to the
classroom, each group had to draw on the chalk board
their route using vectors. In addition, they had to
change their pace unit of distance into meters.

Scalars:

Objective:

To enable students to become familiar with the concept that certain numbers have
only magnitude.

Equipment:
Room transparency
Overhead projector pen
Thermometers

Suggested Strategy:

Activity: Students are located near windows, doors and at varying
heights throughout the room. Their task is to take and
record the temperature at their location. After five
minutes, each person goes to the chalk board where the
projected image of the room appears and records the
results.

The class then analyses the temperature distribution
field that they produced. Places of approximately
equal temperature are connected. The result is called
a temperature field and the lines are called isotherms.
A two day sequence of weather maps enable the class to
see the movement of hot air across the country.


Performance Assessment:

Both classroom demonstrations and student participation provided varied approaches to understanding.
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