Author: Robin A. Ward, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Audience:
grades 7 - 8
Mathematical Topics:
graph construction and interpretation
Rationale:
The NCTM Standards recommend that the mathematics curriculum for students in grades 5-8 include explorations of real-world statistical data, which would provide students with the opportunity to:
This activity allows students to plot real-world data and search for and discuss the existence of relationships among the data.
Background:
One vital piece of data collected by Pathfinder during its flights is the wind speed at various altitudes. Knowing the wind speed is extremely important to operators on the ground since flight operations are limited to relatively calm wind days. This is because Pathfinder is a very lightweight vehicle, weighing only 530 pounds. For a flight to be stable, the surface wind speed must not exceed 5 knots (approximately 6 miles per hour). As Pathfinder reaches higher altitudes, the surface winds must range between 5 - 7 knots (approximately 6 - 8 miles per hour), with upper level winds less than 50 knots (approximately 75.5 miles per hour). Thus, a constant observation of wind speed is imperative to insure a safe return of Pathfinder to Earth.
A knot is a unit of measurement used to measure speed at sea. One knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour or 1.151 statute (or "land") miles per hour.
The Activity:
Enrichment:
As an enrichment activity, tell students they are actual NASA Dryden engineers called in to assist in the flying of Pathfinder. Place students in groups and let them work cooperatively to design emergency scenarios to handle when winds would exceed the limits of Pathfinder. How would the students change their flight plan?
Present the following scenario: Due to a communications failure, the entire flight plan for the August 28, 1997 flight of Pathfinder has been deleted. Ask students to pretend to be actual NASA Dryden engineers assigned to reconstruct the flight plan just completed by Pathfinder. The only data the "engineers" have to work with is the wind speed and altitude data given above. Using this data and the graph they just created, showing wind speed (y-axis) versus altitude (x-axis), ask the "NASA Dryden engineers" to develop and present possible flight plans completed by Pathfinder by generating a graph plotting Pathfinder's altitude (y-axis) versus time (x-axis), taking into account the varying wind speeds.
Students may observe and plot other Pathfinder data that does show a relationship. Allow students to discover the linear relationship between altitude and temperature.
Students can also engage in another activity that demonstrates a piecewise linear relationship between
time and Pathfinder's battery state of charge.
Return or go to:
Algebra Activities
Airborne Sciences Program Activities
Funded by the
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
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