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Centre for Research in Mathematics Education (CRME)
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Modelling making matchsticks
This is a problem solving lesson, designed to help you assess how well students are able to:
- Interpret a situation and represent the variables mathematically.
- Select appropriate mathematical methods.
- Interpret and evaluate the data generated.
The problem is set in the context of making matchsticks. Matchsticks are often made from pine. Students are given the height of a pine tree, the dimensions of a matchstick, and a formula shape for calculating the volume of different 3D shapes. The problem is to calculate how many matchsticks can be made from a single pine tree.
Students look at modelling the pine tree using different shapes and compare their resulting answers.
This is a problem solving lesson from the Mathematics Assessment Resource Service, a collaboration between UC Berkeley and the Shell Centre team at the University of Nottingham. Further information on the collection is given here.
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