Students learn about the concepts of accuracy and approximation as they pertain to robotics, gain insight into experimental accuracy, and learn how and when to estimate values that they measure. Students also explore sources of error stemming from the robot setup and rounding numbers.

This task is a refinement of ``Carbon 14 dating'' which focuses on accuracy. Because radioactive decay is an atomic process modeled by the laws of quantum mechanics, it is not possible to know with certainty when half of a given quantity of Carbon 14 atoms will decay. This type of question is very important in science and it also provides an opportunity to study the very subtle question of how errors behave when applying a function: in some cases the errors can be magnified while in others they are lessened.

***LOGIN REQUIRED*** This lesson gives students a better perspective as to how acreage is determined. Using the computer in their pocket students learn to calculate area in feet and acres. Using their results the can calculate biomass, board feet per acre, or even the amount of electrical fencing needed to protect a meadow.

Analytical chemistry spans nearly all areas of chemistry but involves the development of tools and methods to measure physical properties of substances and apply those techniques to the identification of their presence (qualitative analysis) and quantify the amount present (quantitative analysis) of species in a wide variety of settings.

With this applet, students can examine the angles in a triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon or octagon. They can change the shape of the figure by dragging the vertices; the size of each angle is shown and the sum of the interior angles calculated. Students are challenged to find a relationship between the number of sides and the sum of the interior angles.

In this math activity, learners explore the history of the Stomachion (an ancient tangram-type puzzle), use the pieces to create other figures, learn about symmetry and transformations, and investigate the areas of the pieces. The Stomachion, believed to have been created by Archimedes, consists of 14 pieces cut from a square, which can be rearranged to form other interesting shapes.

In this lesson students use a rule of thumb about the weight of babies to practice doubling and halving numbers. They complete an organized table and compare data using vertical and horizontal double bar graphs. The lesson includes a student activity sheet and extension ideas.

Students investigate different balls' abilities to bounce and represent the data they collect graphically.

This interactive applet introduces students to the topic of combinations, a basic concept in probability. Users create combinations of shirts and pants to determine the total number of possible outfits. They may simply explore by placing the clothes on Bobbie, or make a guess and then test it. The number of shirt and pants choices is customizable. An optional voice provides prompts and feedback.

In this investigation, learners determine the amount of each ingredient needed to make brownies, and then they figure out how to divide the brownies evenly among the group. This lesson helps learners reinforce their measurement skills in a practical situation.

Students investigate the weather from a systems approach, learning how individual parts of a system work together to create a final product. Students learn how a barometer works to measure the Earth's air pressure by building a model using simple materials. Students analyze the changes in barometer measurements over time and compare those to actual weather conditions. They learn how to use a barometer to understand air pressure and predict actual weather changes.

This lesson helps students develop spatial visualization skills and geometric understanding by exploring the different nets that can be folded into a cube. The lesson is placed in the context of a young woman who is trying to build a jewelry box. The lesson provides an activity sheet, a link to a helpful applet (Cube Nets, cataloged separately), questions for students and teachers, and ideas for assessment and extensions.

This task was developed by high school and postsecondary mathematics and design/pre-construction educators, and validated by content experts in the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and the National Career Clusters Knowledge & Skills Statements. It was developed with the purpose of demonstrating how the Common Core and CTE Knowledge & Skills Statements can be integrated into classroom learning - and to provide classroom teachers with a truly authentic task for either mathematics or CTE courses.

This task was developed by high school and postsecondary mathematics and design/pre-construction educators, and validated by content experts in the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and the National Career Clusters Knowledge & Skills Statements. It was developed with the purpose of demonstrating how the Common Core and CTE Knowledge & Skills Statements can be integrated into classroom learning - and to provide classroom teachers with a truly authentic task for either mathematics or CTE courses.

This problem involves the meaning of numbers found on labels. When the level of accuracy is not given we need to make assumptions based on how the information is reported. The goal of the task is to stimulate a conversation about rounding and about how to record numbers with an appropriate level of accuracy, tying in directly to the standard N-Q.3. It is therefore better suited for instruction than for assessment purposes.

This Java applet activity allows students to explore the various situations described in "The Chairs Around the Table" lesson (cataloged separately). The user can select Exploration mode, in which the number of chairs needed for a particular arrangement of tables is displayed; or Guess, in which the user is able to construct an arrangement and then predict the number of chairs. There are two types of tables to choose from and two different table arrangements. Instructions and exploration question are provide.

An applet for students to use in exploring the area and circumference of a circle in relation to its radius and diameter. When the radius is changed, the other measures automatically change and are shown on a board. Most importantly, the ratio between any pair of these measures can be shown.

Accuracy of measurement in navigation depends very much on the situation. If a sailor's target is an island 200 km wide, sailing off center by 10 or 20 km is not a major problem. But, if the island were only 1 km wide, it would be missed if off just the smallest bit. Many of the measurements made while navigating involve angles, and a small error in the angle can translate to a much larger error in position when traveling long distances.

This lesson develops number skills, understanding of coin values, and the concept of equivalence. Students use coin blocks, concrete representations of the value of coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters), to compose and decompose values up to a dollar. The resource includes a 3-minute video for teachers on how to build the coin blocks prior to the lesson. An interactive game, Coin Box, provides additional practice for students and is cataloged separately.

In this Flash game, students may use a variety of activities to practice counting, collecting, exchanging, and making change for coins. Coin representations may show their amounts or not; coins may also be represented by coin tiles on a 10x10 grid, to help visualize their values. The five activities are: count, in which students determine the value of a given set of coins; collect, in which students choose coins to represent a given value; exchange, in which students use the smallest number of coins to represent a given value; change from coins, in which students are given a set of coins and asked how much change would be for a dollar (essentially counting up); and change from value, in which students are given a price owed (from a dollar) and asked to make change. There is a "bank" at the lower left side of the applet in which coins may be exchanged for other coins of the same value.