This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important aspects of the task and its potential use.

The problem presents a context where a quadratic function arises. Careful analysis, including graphing, of the function is closely related to the context. The student will gain valuable experience applying the quadratic formula and the exercise also gives a possible implementation of completing the square.

The problem statement describes a changing algae population as reported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In part (a), students are expected to build an exponential function modeling algae concentration from the description given of the relationship between concentrations in cells/ml and days of rapid growth (F-LE.2).

In this video segment from Cyberchase, Matt tries for a second time to arrange tables and chairs to accommodate 20 workers.

This two-lesson unit from Illuminations, exposes students to algebra, measurement, and data analysis concepts and the major theme of analyzing change. In the first lesson, students measure the heights of classmates and older students and construct a table of height and age data to compare them. The second lesson's instructional goal is to understand how change in one variable, age, can relate to change in a second variable, height. Instructional plan, questions for the students, assessment options, extensions, and teacher reflections are given.

In this real world problem students solve questions based on the relationship between production costs and price.

This task provides a real world context for interpreting and solving exponential equations. There are two solutions provided for part (a). The first solution demonstrates how to deduce the conclusion by thinking in terms of the functions and their rates of change. The second approach illustrates a rigorous algebraic demonstration that the two populations can never be equal.

This task could be put to good use in an instructional sequence designed to develop knowledge related to students' understanding of linear functions in contexts. Though students could work independently on the task, collaboration with peers is more likely to result in the exploration of a range of interpretations.

This task involves a fairly straightforward decaying exponential. Filling out the table and developing the general formula is complicated only by the need to work with a fraction that requires decisions about rounding and precision.

This task describes two linear functions using two different representations. To draw conclusions about the quantities, students have to find a common way of describing them. We have presented three solutions (1) Finding equations for both functions. (2) Using tables of values. (3) Using graphs.

The purpose of this task is for students to interpret two distance-time graphs in terms of the context of a bicycle race. There are two major mathematical aspects to this: interpreting what a particular point on the graph means in terms of the context, and understanding that the "steepness" of the graph tells us something about how fast the bicyclists are moving.

This task provides an exploration of a quadratic equation by descriptive, numerical, graphical, and algebraic techniques. Based on its real-world applicability, teachers could use the task as a way to introduce and motivate algebraic techniques like completing the square, en route to a derivation of the quadratic formula.

This task is for instructional purposes only and builds on ``Building an explicit quadratic function.''

This is the first of a series of task aiming at understanding the quadratic formula in a geometric way in terms of the graph of a quadratic function.

This task is intended for instruction and to motivate "Building a general quadratic function.''

This course begins with a review of algebra specifically designed to help and prepare the student for the study of calculus, and continues with discussion of functions, graphs, limits, continuity, and derivatives. The appendix provides a large collection of reference facts, geometry, and trigonometry that will assist in solving calculus problems long after the course is over. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: calculate or estimate limits of functions given by formulas, graphs, or tables by using properties of limits and LĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_hopitalĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s Rule; state whether a function given by a graph or formula is continuous or differentiable at a given point or on a given interval and justify the answer; calculate average and instantaneous rates of change in context, and state the meaning and units of the derivative for functions given graphically; calculate derivatives of polynomial, rational, common transcendental functions, and implicitly defined functions; apply the ideas and techniques of derivatives to solve maximum and minimum problems and related rate problems, and calculate slopes and rates for function given as parametric equations; find extreme values of modeling functions given by formulas or graphs; predict, construct, and interpret the shapes of graphs; solve equations using NewtonĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s Method; find linear approximations to functions using differentials; festate in words the meanings of the solutions to applied problems, attaching the appropriate units to an answer; state which parts of a mathematical statement are assumptions, such as hypotheses, and which parts are conclusions. This free course may be completed online at any time. It has been developed through a partnership with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; the Saylor Foundation has modified some WSBCTC materials. (Mathematics 005)

This course is an introduction to contemporary calculus and is the first of a three-part sequence. In this course students explore the concepts, applications, and techniques of Calculus - the mathematics of change. Calculus has wide-spread application in science, economics and engineering, and is a foundation college course for further work in these areas. This is a required class for most science and mathematics majors.Login: guest_oclPassword: ocl

The purpose of this task is to give students practice constructing functions that represent a quantity of interest in a context, and then interpreting features of the function in the light of that context. It can be used as either an assessment or a teaching task.

The primary purpose of this task is to lead students to a numerical and graphical understanding of the behavior of a rational function near a vertical asymptote, in terms of the expression defining the function. The canoe context focuses attention on the variables as numbers, rather than as abstract symbols.

The task requires the student to use logarithms to solve an exponential equation in the realistic context of carbon dating, important in archaeology and geology, among other places. Students should be guided to recognize the use of the natural logarithm when the exponential function has the given base of e, as in this problem. Note that the purpose of this task is algebraic in nature -- closely related tasks exist which approach similar problems from numerical or graphical stances.