Integrated Algebra 1
Fall 2013 Project
“When Am I Ever Going to Use This?”
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to answer the question asked by almost every math student: “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” It will be your task to determine how and where mathematics is used on a daily basis within companies around the community. The goal of this assignment is not necessarily for you to understand all of the math that you may encounter within the scope of this project, although it would be fantastic and beneficial if you attempted to understand the mathematics, but, rather, for you to see all of the various ways in which mathematics enters the daily lives of businesses throughout your community. You may find yourself surprised at the amount of mathematics that is used by businesses, and you may find yourself surprised at which business incorporate mathematics in their daily operations.
Requirements
You must find one business that you are interested in and go and conduct an interview with someone in the company who uses mathematics. Some examples may include the store manager of Wal-Mart, an engineer at Hartzell, a project manager within a construction firm, a doctor or nurse, the superintendent of schools, etc. Your interview must focus on questions that relate to how these individuals use mathematics within their daily job functions. Some appropriate questions may include:
1. How do you use math on a daily basis?
2. How much math did you have to study in high school and college?
3. Can you show me some of the types of mathematics you use?
4. Does working with mathematics help you to analyze and solve other problems that you encounter on a daily basis?
5. Is math important in your industry? If so, can you explain how and why it is important?
This is just a sample list of questions to help get you started. I encourage you to come up with at least five (5) more questions of your own that you can ask your interviewee about how they use math in their career.
Once you have conducted your interview, you must write a 2-4 page paper explaining what you have learned. You must address the following questions in your paper:
1. How does this company or person use mathematics in their job?
2. Is math important in this particular career?
3. How does knowing math help them to be a better problem solver?
4. Does knowing mathematics help them to analyze problems better?
5. If this person is responsible for hiring, do they look for employees that have a strong background in mathematics?
The paper must be typed and double-spaced using Times New Roman lettering with a 12 point font. All grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be graded as well. You must also give at least one example of how this person uses mathematics on their job. For example, you can include a piece of mathematics that the person gave you such as a graph or equation or formula, or you can explain the types of mathematics the person uses in their job.
The final product that you present for grading should look professional and should be of your highest quality possible. This project will be worth 200 points, or the equivalent of two test grades. The final due date for this project will be Friday, December 6th.
Some things to consider:
1. Plan early. It may not be easy to schedule an interview, so be sure to give yourselves plenty of time to do so.
2. Be professional. Remember, you are representing yourself and Piqua High School as you go out into the community to conduct your interview. This means be respectful and dress appropriately.
3. Keep an eye on due dates. To help move you towards several key benchmarks, there are due dates along the way so that you do not wait until the night before to complete the project.
4. This project will be graded, in part, by the members of the community that you have interviewed. These individuals will be invited to take part in some of the grading of your papers based on a rubric that will be created by me.
5. These projects will be displayed in the classroom and public areas of the high school, so do the very best work that you can do. Be proud of the hard work that you will put into this project.
6. Be sure to try and get a sample of the mathematics that this person uses so that you can display it with your project.
7. Take notes during your interview so you can remember what to write about when you start your paper.
Note:
Projects are not required to be in a folder, but think about professional presentations. You may want to consider putting your final copy in a folder or creating a poster board that highlights the company or person that you interviewed. Creating a poster board that is creative and highlights the major points of your paper is a great way to “hook” people into reading your actual paper!
Businesses
Here is a list of businesses that you might want to consider going for interviews. This list is only a suggestion, however, you must get your business approved by me by the date listed on the scoring rubric.
1. Wal-Mart
2. Hartzell Propeller Inc.
3. Piqua Transfer (trucking company)
4. Piqua Electric
5. Piqua Police Department
6. Piqua Fire Department
7. Bob Evans
8. Even-Flo
9. The United Way
10. Piqua City Government – mayor and city planner
11. Banks
12. Insurance Companies
13. Upper Valley Center Mall management
14. Realtors
15. Superintendent of Schools/School Treasurer
16. Piqua Concrete
17. Upper Valley Medical Center
18. Crayex
19. Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce
20. Paul Sherry
Keep in mind that only two people can go to the same business to conduct interviews. This means you should make your choices as early as possible in order to get your first choice of places to interview.
Timeline and Due Dates
1. Place of business chosen Friday, October 11
2. Interview scheduled Friday, October 25
3. First draft written Friday, November 15
4. Final Project Due Friday, December 6
Breakdown of points:
Mathematics/Problem Solving 100 Points
Research Paper 100 Points
Fall 2013 Project
“When Am I Ever Going to Use This?”
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to answer the question asked by almost every math student: “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” It will be your task to determine how and where mathematics is used on a daily basis within companies around the community. The goal of this assignment is not necessarily for you to understand all of the math that you may encounter within the scope of this project, although it would be fantastic and beneficial if you attempted to understand the mathematics, but, rather, for you to see all of the various ways in which mathematics enters the daily lives of businesses throughout your community. You may find yourself surprised at the amount of mathematics that is used by businesses, and you may find yourself surprised at which business incorporate mathematics in their daily operations.
Requirements
You must find one business that you are interested in and go and conduct an interview with someone in the company who uses mathematics. Some examples may include the store manager of Wal-Mart, an engineer at Hartzell, a project manager within a construction firm, a doctor or nurse, the superintendent of schools, etc. Your interview must focus on questions that relate to how these individuals use mathematics within their daily job functions. Some appropriate questions may include:
1. How do you use math on a daily basis?
2. How much math did you have to study in high school and college?
3. Can you show me some of the types of mathematics you use?
4. Does working with mathematics help you to analyze and solve other problems that you encounter on a daily basis?
5. Is math important in your industry? If so, can you explain how and why it is important?
This is just a sample list of questions to help get you started. I encourage you to come up with at least five (5) more questions of your own that you can ask your interviewee about how they use math in their career.
Once you have conducted your interview, you must write a 2-4 page paper explaining what you have learned. You must address the following questions in your paper:
1. How does this company or person use mathematics in their job?
2. Is math important in this particular career?
3. How does knowing math help them to be a better problem solver?
4. Does knowing mathematics help them to analyze problems better?
5. If this person is responsible for hiring, do they look for employees that have a strong background in mathematics?
The paper must be typed and double-spaced using Times New Roman lettering with a 12 point font. All grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be graded as well. You must also give at least one example of how this person uses mathematics on their job. For example, you can include a piece of mathematics that the person gave you such as a graph or equation or formula, or you can explain the types of mathematics the person uses in their job.
The final product that you present for grading should look professional and should be of your highest quality possible. This project will be worth 200 points, or the equivalent of two test grades. The final due date for this project will be Friday, December 6th.
Some things to consider:
1. Plan early. It may not be easy to schedule an interview, so be sure to give yourselves plenty of time to do so.
2. Be professional. Remember, you are representing yourself and Piqua High School as you go out into the community to conduct your interview. This means be respectful and dress appropriately.
3. Keep an eye on due dates. To help move you towards several key benchmarks, there are due dates along the way so that you do not wait until the night before to complete the project.
4. This project will be graded, in part, by the members of the community that you have interviewed. These individuals will be invited to take part in some of the grading of your papers based on a rubric that will be created by me.
5. These projects will be displayed in the classroom and public areas of the high school, so do the very best work that you can do. Be proud of the hard work that you will put into this project.
6. Be sure to try and get a sample of the mathematics that this person uses so that you can display it with your project.
7. Take notes during your interview so you can remember what to write about when you start your paper.
Note:
Projects are not required to be in a folder, but think about professional presentations. You may want to consider putting your final copy in a folder or creating a poster board that highlights the company or person that you interviewed. Creating a poster board that is creative and highlights the major points of your paper is a great way to “hook” people into reading your actual paper!
Businesses
Here is a list of businesses that you might want to consider going for interviews. This list is only a suggestion, however, you must get your business approved by me by the date listed on the scoring rubric.
1. Wal-Mart
2. Hartzell Propeller Inc.
3. Piqua Transfer (trucking company)
4. Piqua Electric
5. Piqua Police Department
6. Piqua Fire Department
7. Bob Evans
8. Even-Flo
9. The United Way
10. Piqua City Government – mayor and city planner
11. Banks
12. Insurance Companies
13. Upper Valley Center Mall management
14. Realtors
15. Superintendent of Schools/School Treasurer
16. Piqua Concrete
17. Upper Valley Medical Center
18. Crayex
19. Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce
20. Paul Sherry
Keep in mind that only two people can go to the same business to conduct interviews. This means you should make your choices as early as possible in order to get your first choice of places to interview.
Timeline and Due Dates
1. Place of business chosen Friday, October 11
2. Interview scheduled Friday, October 25
3. First draft written Friday, November 15
4. Final Project Due Friday, December 6
Breakdown of points:
Mathematics/Problem Solving 100 Points
Research Paper 100 Points
