Andy Jensen and Brian Campbell

Course: Vertical Motion Exploration
Audience: Algebra students

Goals:
The goal of this course is to teach students how to solve quadratic equations using the quadratic formula and how to interpret the associated graph of the function. Students will use these skills to solve problems involving vertical motion. They will discuss solutions in online forums and work in groups to demonstrate solutions in the form of a wiki.

Objectives:

• Identify the vertex, roots, axis of symmetry, and y-intercept of a parabola.
• Describe how changing the a-value will modify the shape of the graph.
• Describe how the b & c values translate, or move the graph.
• Solve for the discriminant and describe what it means to the graph.

• Solve quadratic equations by using the Quadratic Formula.
• Reflect on the process of solving quadratic equations in writing.

• Given a vertical motion problem, solve for the time an object is in the air.
• Working in groups, students will create a wiki demonstrating the numeric solution and graph of their vertical motion problem.
• In their wiki, groups will describe the meaning of their graphic and numeric solutions in words.