Illustrative Math Alignment: Grade 6 Unit 1

11/28/11. In this issue we look at the geometry of parade balloons.

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12/7/11. In this issue we look at the heroic work of salvaging and retrofitting many of the ships sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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12/12/11. In this issue we look at the MLK Memorial and the special properties of granite that presented some design challenges in the construction of the statue.

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January 2012. In this issue of Math in the News we analyze how the Costa Concordia sank.

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April 2012. In this issue of Math in the News we analyze the sinking of the Titanic. It has been a hundred years, yet the story of the sinkin g of the Titanic still fascinates.

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August 2013. In this issue we look at the geometry of funnel cakes. You'll like the sweet results.

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September 2013. In this issue we look at the impressive engineering effort in raising the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship that sank off the Italian coast. This provides an opportunity to study vectors in the context of physics.

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Topic

3D Geometry

Definition

Surface area is the total area covered by the surface of a three-dimensional object.

This is part of a collection of math video definitions related to the topic of 3D Geometry. These videos have Spanish audio. Note: The download is an MP4 video.

In this program we look at applications of area and volume. We do this in the context of three real-world applications. In the first, we look at the sinking of the Titanic in the context of volume and density. In the second application we look at the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum and calculate its surface area. In the third application we look at the Citibank Tower in New York City to study the ratio of surface area to volume to learn about heat loss in tall buildings.

The sinking of the Titanic provides an opportunity to explore volume, density, and buoyancy. Students construct a mathematical model of the Titanic to determine why it sank and what could have been done to prevent it from sinking.

The glass-paneled pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris is a tessellation of rhombus-shaped glass panels. Students create a model of the pyramid to calculate the number of panels used to cover the surface area of the pyramid.

The Citibank Tower in New York City presents some unique design challenges. In addition it has to cope with a problem that all tall structure have to deal with: heat loss. By managing the ratio of surface area to volume, a skyscraper can effective manage heat loss.