In my capstone class for future secondary math teachers, I ask my students to come up with ideas for engaging their students with different topics in the secondary mathematics curriculum. In other words, the point of the assignment was not to devise a full-blown lesson plan on this topic. Instead, I asked my students to think about three different ways of getting their students interested in the topic in the first place.
I plan to share some of the best of these ideas on this blog (after asking my students’ permission, of course).
This student submission again comes from my former student Anna Park. Her topic: how to engage Algebra II or Precalculus students when solving logarithmic equations.
Application:
The students will each be given a card with a) a logarithmic equation solution and b) a new logarithmic equation. The student that has a number one on the back of their card will begin the game. The student will stand up and tell the rest of the class what they have for b) the Log equation they have, then the student with the corresponding card will read their solution a) to the first students problem. If that student is correct they will read part b) the new log equation. Then another student that has the logarithmic solution will stand up and say their solution a) and then read their new log equation b). This will continue until the last student stands with their new equation and it loops back to student number one’s solution. This will end the game. This game requires students to solve logarithmic equations and recognize how to rewrite a logarithmic equation. There will be an appropriate amount of time before the game begins so the students can work backwards to find their logarithmic equation that matches their solution.
History:
John Napier was the mathematician that introduced logarithms. The way he came up with logarithms is very fascinating, especially how long it took him to develop the logarithm table. He first published his work on logarithms in 1614. He published the findings under “A Description of the Wonderful Table of Logarithms.” He named them logarithms after two Greek words; logos, meaning proportion, and arithmos, meaning number. His discovery was based off of his imagination of two particles traveling along two parallel lines. One line had infinite length and the other had a finite length. He imagined both particles starting at the same horizontal positions with the same velocity. The first line’s velocity was proportional to the distance, which meant that the particle was covering equal distance in equal time. Whereas the second particle’s velocity was proportional with the distance remaining. His findings were that the distance not covered by the second line was the sine and the distance of the first line was the logarithm of the sine. This showed that the sines decreased and the logarithms increased. This also resulted in the sines decreasing in geometric proportion and the logarithms increasing in arithmetic proportion. He made his logarithm tables by taking increments of arc (theta) every minute, listing the sine of each minute by arc, and the corresponding logarithm. Completing his tables, Napier computed roughly ten million entries, and he selected the appropriate values. Napier said that his findings and completing this table took him about 20 years, which means he probably started his work in 1594.
Technology:
I have found that when it comes to remembering rules, sometime the cheesiest of songs help student’s to remember the rules. It is also a very good engage before the students start with the lesson. The chorus is typically the most important content for the student’s to remember. Here are two videos that would help the student’s to remember how to compute logarithms.
The first video is a song from Youtube set to the song Thriller by Michael Jackson. The song is produced very well and is very engaging throughout the whole song.
The Second video is of a student’s project on Youtube of how to remember how to compute logarithms to the song Under the sea by the little mermaid. Though the production isn’t as good as the first video, the young girls do a good job at explaining how to solve logarithms.
Mean Green Math 