California Middle School Mathematics Concepts and Skills: Course 2

#4010 The ABC’s of Architecture - When Penn Station needed a new front entrance, they called upon architect Frances Halsband, and she called upon her knowledge of geometry.

Chapter Engagement

Ask students to identify all of the variables they can find in Futures Channel Movie #4010 The ABC’s of Architecture. Discuss answers, then ask students what they think happens when the wind blows against the building—that is, what variables influence how much force the building experiences (velocity of wind, direction of the wind, area of the wall that the wind is blowing against).

Then present the scenario described in Movie Guide #6, and ask students to work in pairs to plot the data points given for the north wind. When this is completed, ask students whether or not the function seems to be linear, and guide the class to agreement that it is not. Then ask students to plot the equation y = .003x² + .02x + 1.5 on the same axes. Students should observe that this equation closely approximates the relationship of wind to pressure.

Explain that the expression .003x² + .02x + 1.5 is called a polynomial, and that the parts of the polynomial that are added or subtracted are called terms, or sometimes monomials. Tell students that polynomials such as this one describe many functional relationships which are not linear, and that they are going to learn more about them in this chapter.