Students in the upper elementary grades need to develop their ability to solve problems and reason logically. These students are ready to use mathematics to explore and make sense of their world. Giving the students an opportunity to convert large units into smaller ones that are more understandable will help them to comprehend their world. Making these conversions will give students practice with measuring and performing arithmetic operations, skills that have been a major part of their math education up to this point. Students will learn how to apply their knowledge in order to solve problems and increase understanding.

Upper elementary students are energetic and curious. It is important for the teacher to provide stimulating material for them that makes connections to their daily lives. These students need to see the relevance of mathematics to the world around them.

Background: The SR-71 Blackbird was developed in the 1950's as a reconnaissance plane for the U.S. Air Force. Because it flies at such high speeds and high altitudes, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and the U.S. Air Force have used the SR-71 for research since the 1960's. It remains the world's fastest and highest-flying plane.

Recently, the SR-71 has been used for experiments investigating the earth's atmosphere, particularly in protecting and rebuilding the shrinking ozone layer. It has also been used to establish a new personal communications network in conjunction with Motorola. Data received from SR-71 flights will be used in the future to engineer supersonic/hypersonic aircraft for use as commercial carriers.

The SR-71 Blackbird can fly at Mach 3+, which is more than 2,200 miles per hour. Sound travels around 740 miles per hour. This speed is called "Mach 1." Mach 3+ means more than three times the speed of sound. The SR-71 can fly at altitudes over 85,000 feet. The high speeds and altitudes have a dramatic effect on the plane itself, actually causing it to expand during flight and heat up to temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

In this activity, the students will be able to better comprehend the distance, speed, and temperature associated with the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, by re-expressing units of measurement into terms with which they are familiar. The students will draw on their addition/subtraction and multiplication/division skills to arrive at solutions to the problems.

View several photos of the SR-71.

View a movie clip of the SR-71.

Click here to link to a handy web site that will CONVERT UNITS.

Materials:

The Activity:

Enrichment Activities:
Ask the students to find (with the help of their parents, if necessary) two points in their own town that measure approximately 16 miles apart, the distance at which the SR-71 can fly above the earth. Ask the students to bring in their locations the following day and share their findings.

Using the Internet, ask students to locate two U.S. cities that are about 2,200 miles apart by either driving distance or as the crow flies. Allow the students to share their findings. Remind the students that the SR-71 could make this trip in less than one hour!

Ask students to re-express the three aspects of the SR-71 in terms of other familiar items. For example, a spaghetti noodle measures 10 inches. If the SR-71 is flying at a height of 85,000 feet, how many noodles, stacked end to end, would it take to reach the SR-71. Or, how many dollar bills, stacked end-to-end would it take to reach the SR-71 at this height?

Click here to view another activity in which the speed of the SR-71 is compared to the speed of various every-day items.

Students can gain more practice with converting units by clicking here and visiting a web site that will CONVERT UNITS.


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Funded by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

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