ICEs from Math Xa Classes



Date Used ICE This ICE was designed to help you...
Wed 12/12 Assessing the Impact of the 1998 ICCAT and NRC Initiatives to Reform the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery using a Slope FIeld
  • To realize that a function can be defined by its rate of change and one "initial value" of the function
  • To use data collected from the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery to create an equation for the net rate of change of the Atlantic bluefin tuna population
  • To use the equation for the net rate of change to draw a slope field
  • To use an initial value and the slope field to draw a graph showing the size of the Atlantic bluefin tuna population versus time
  • To use the information calculated to assess the 1998 ICCAT and NRC reforms of the bluefin tuna fishing industry
Mon 12/10 Assessing the Impact of the 1998 ICCAT and NRC Initiatives to Reform the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery
  • To realize that a function can be defined by its rate of change and one "initial value" of the function
  • To use data collected from the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery to create an equation for the net rate of change of the Atlantic bluefin tuna population
  • To use an initial value, an equation for the rate of change of a function and a given "step- size" to approximate the size of the bluefin tuna population as time goes by
  • To use the information calculated to assess the 1998 ICCAT and NRC reforms of the bluefin tuna fishing industry
Fri 12/7 Implicit Differentiation
  • To recognize when it is appropriate to use the technqiue of Implicit Differentiation to for calculate the derivative of a function
  • To practice using the technique of Implicit Differentiation
Wed 12/5 The Gulf of Sidra Incident
  • To use functions and derivatives to represent the important aspects of a situation that is described in words and pictures
  • To translate a question phrased in plain English into an appropriate symbolic representation
  • To identify the quantities that will enable solution of the question and represent these quantities using functions
  • To relate the values of derivatives of two functions using a geometrical relationship (Pythagorean Theorem) that relates the functions that are involved
Mon 12/3 Calculating Derivatives Using the Chain Rule
  • To recognize when it is appropriate to use the chain rule to calculate the derivative of a function
  • To practice using the chain rule for calculating the derivative of a composite function when the function is defined by an equation
  • To use the chain rule in combination with the other rules that you know for calculating derivatives
Fri 11/30 Assessing the Impact of the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act on the Killing of Dolphins by Tuna Fishermen
  • To realize that you can differentiate the derivative of a function. The result is called the second derivative.
  • To learn that when the second derivative of a function is negative, the function is concave down
  • To learn that when the second derivative of a function is positive, the function is concave up
  • To use the second derivative of a function to determine when the Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972 appeared to be reducing the rate at which dolphins were killed by tuna fishermen.
Mon 11/19 The Global Minimum Water Company's Pledge to its Customers
  • To translate a verbal and pictorial description of a situation into a collection of functions defined by equations
  • To recall and use formulas for volume and area from geometry to describe the volume and surface area of a three dimensional object
  • To translate a verbal description into a situation into a calculus problem involving derivatives and critical points
  • To recognize that you can only do calculus when the function you are working with is expressed using only one independent variable and to use the equations you have found to re-express a function with two independent variables in terms of only one independent variable
  • To use calculus to find the derivative of a function
  • To use the derivative of a function to locate the maximum and minimum values of a function
  • To use the derivative of a function to classify the critical points as (local) maximums, (local) minimums or neither
Fri 11/16 Derivatives of Exponential Functions
  • To recognize when it is appropriate to use the rule for calculating the derivative of an exponential function
  • To practice using the rule for calculating the derivative of an exponential function when the function is defined by an equation
  • To use the rule for differentiating an exponential function in combination with the other rules that you know for calculating derivatives
Friday 11/9 A Straight-forward Optimization Problem
  • To model a straight-forward situation using a polynomial function
  • To practice using the derivative rules you have been learning to find the derivatives of functions
  • To use the first derivative to locate the points where a function has maximum or minimum value
Fri 11/9 Calculating Derivatives
  • To recognize when it is appropriate to use various rules for calculating derivatives
  • To practice using rules for calculating derivatives when functions defined by equations
  • To use the derivative rules you have been learning together in combinations
Wed 11/7 The Product and Quotient Rules
  • To recognize when it is appropriate to use the product and quotient rules for calculating derivatives
  • To practice using the product and quotient rules for functions defined by equations
  • To use the product and quotient rules in combination with the other rules that you know for calculating derivatives
Mon 11/5 The Fastest Man in the World
  • To express familiar quantities such as position, speed, distance covered and velocity in terms of functions and derivatives
  • To create a function (defined by an equation) to represent the distance covered by an athlete during a race
  • To use the rules for calculating derivatives:
    • The Sum and Difference Rules
    • The Constant Multiple Rule
    • The Power Rule
    • The Derivative of a Constant Rule
    to calculate the derivative of a polynomial function
Wed 11/2 Pricing a Consumer Good
  • To use the limit definition of the derivative to calculate an equation for the derivative of a polynomial function
  • To interpret the value of the derivative in a practical setting
  • To find a way of explaining what the numerical value of a derivative means in a way that would be comprehensible to someone who was not familiar with calculus
  • To relate the material from this class to the material from another class (Economics)
  • To express the economic quantities of marginal revenue and marginal cost in terms of functions and derivatives
  • To use the condition for profit maximization from economics (marginal revenue = marginal cost) to price a consumer good
Mon 10/29 The Legendary Darwin Stubbie
  • To distinguish between average rate of change over an interval and instantaneous rate of change at a point of time
  • To calculate the average rate of change of a quantity over an interval of time
  • To use a graph of a function and a tangent line to find the instantaneous rate of change of a function at a point
  • To use a table to calculate the limit of the slopes of secant lines as the interval becomes shorter and shorter
  • To use a table of secant line slopes to estimate the instantaneous rate of change of a function at a point
  • To learn about the serious (and usually adverse) effects of alcohol abuse
Mon 10/22 Analyzing President Bush's New Tax Plan
  • Find linear functions relating Federal tax to taxable income
  • Use a collection of linear functions to describe a complicated function that is defined in pieces
  • Decide what could possibly be meant by a "percentage tax cut"
  • Create rational functions relating taxable income to "percentage tax cut"
  • Use a collection of rational functions to describe a complicated function that is defined in pieces
  • Use numerical and graphical evidence to evaluate President Bush's claims on who will benefit most from his new tax schedule
Fri 10/19 Enhancing Agricultural Production in Tanzania
  • Use a graphing calculator to represent data and to find a symbolic description of the relationships in the data
  • Create an equation for a quadratic function
  • Use a graphing calculator to locate the coordinates of the maximum (or minimum) point on the graph of a quadratic function
  • Learn to use the technique of Completing the Square to convert the symbolic representation for a quadratic function from standard to vertex form
  • Relate the algebraic structure of the equation for a quadratic function in vertex form to the coordinates for the maximum (or minimum) point on the graph of the function
Mon 10/15 Finding equations for polynomial and rational functions
  • Locate the zeros (x-intercepts) of polynomial functions
  • Determine the multiplicities of the zeros of polynomial functions
  • Use information about the zeros and their multiplicities to find an equation for a polynomial function that is defined by a graph
  • Locate the horizontal and vertical asymptotes of a rational function that is defined by a graph
  • Use the graph of a rational function to determine a possible equation for the rational function
Fri 10/12 Acid-Base Titration
  • Find the inverse of a function that is defined by a table of values
  • Find the inverse of a function that is defined by a graph
  • Examine the geometrical relationship between the graph of a function and the graph of the inverse
  • Find an equation for the inverse of a function
Wed 10/10 Administering Morphine for the Relief of Pain
  • Find equations for exponential functions
  • Translate written descriptions of situations into equations and graphs
  • Create new functions from old using the following kinds of transformations:
    • Vertical translations
    • Horizontal translations
    • Vertical stretches
    • Horizontal stretches
Fri 10/5 Methods for Valuing Stocks
  • Create new functions from old using the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
  • Create new functions from existing functions that are represented as graphs, tables of values or equations (or combinations of all three
  • Recognize that when constructing a new function from existing functions, the domain of the new function is the intersection of the domains of the building blocks
  • Learn about some indices (the PE ratio and the PS ratio) that can be used to value stocks
  • Learn something about how to use the financial information that companies disclose to evaluate their potential as an investment
Wed 10/3 Determining the Advertising Budget for a Small Business
  • Translate information presented in graphical form to numerical and symbolic forms of representation
  • Use function notation to name functions and denote their outputs
  • Use your intuitive ideas about the situation that a function represents to interpret complicated expressions involving function notation
  • Use functions and function notation to help you combine information in a way that helps to make financial decisions affecting a business
Mon 10/1 Governor Pataki Cracks Down on Violent Crime
  • Use a graph showing the rate of change of a function to develop information about the appearance of the graph of the actual function
  • Sketch the graph of a function that is not defined by values or a graph or an equation, but by a rate of change
  • Use specific values of the rate of change of a function to approximate the values of the actual function itself
Fri 9/28 Orbital Period of the Planets
  • Use your graphing calculator to plot data and fit equations to the data
  • Use your graphing calculator as a visualization tool to find patterns in numerical data
  • Compare the predictions of an equation fitted to a data set with measured values
  • Realize that exponential functions are not the only functions that can have increasing, concave up graphs
  • Use your calculator to fit a power function to a set of data
  • Use the equation of a power function to make predictions
Wed 9/26 The Story of Zarathustra and King Vishtaspa
  • Translate a written decription of a situation into numbers (and possibly an equation)
  • Numerically analyze an example of exponential growth
  • Gain an appreciation of how quickly an exponential function can grow
Wed 9/26 The Desert Mummies of Xinjiang Province
  • Create an equation for an exponential function based on a written description of a relationship
  • Use the equation of an exponential function with the TRACE function of a graphing calculator to date ancient remains based on carbon-14 abundance
  • Interpret the predictions of an exponential function in historical and political contexts
Mon 9/24 Hippocampal Development of London Taxi Drivers
  • Use linear functions to describe trends in data
  • Sketch the graph of a linear function
  • Calculate the equation of a linear function
  • Use the equation for a linear function to make predictions
  • To determine the mathematical domain and the problem domain for a linear function
Fri 9/21 War on Drugs
  • Detect intervals where a function is increasing or decreasing
  • Calculate the average rate of change of a function over an interval
  • Relate the sign and magnitude of the rate of change to the appearance of the graph of a function
  • Detect intervals on which a function is concave up or concave down
  • Relate the behavior of the rate of change to the concavity of the graph of a function
Wed 9/19 Woody Allen
  • Use clues from context to decide which quantity is the independent variable and which quantity is the dependent variable
  • Represent numerical and verbal information graphically
  • Use graphs to distinguish between functions and relationships that are not functions
  • Decide what features of a mathematical relationship are most useful for making predictions
Mon 9/17 Bigfoot
  • Understand which of the variables in a relationship is the independent and which is the dependent variable
  • Learn how the choice of independent and dependent variables affects the appearance of a graph
  • Locate the numerical coordinates of data points on a graph
  • Identify when a relationship can be used to make unambiguous predictions, and when it can't