Math 30-1 case studies
Math 30-1 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Mathematics 30-1 is the pre-calculus stream course in Alberta's high school mathematics sequence, and the diploma examination is the provincial assessment attached to it. Students usually take it in Grade 12 as the route toward calculus and post-secondary programs in science, engineering, business, and health fields, though some write it while upgrading or returning to school as an adult. The Math 30-1 case studies are 5 cases and about 2,976 words.
1The Drone Controller and a Broken Inverse
The drone club at a high school programs a quadcopter to fly straight up and then back down along a guide wire. Its height above the launch pad, in metres, is modelled by h(t) = -2(t - 5)² + 50, where t is the time in seconds and the flight runs from t = 0 to t = 10.
645 words, about 3 min2Ferris Wheel Evacuation Drill
The Ferris wheel on a pier has a diameter of 18 m. The floor of each gondola is 2 m above the deck at the lowest point of the ride, and the wheel makes one full turn every 40 s at constant speed.
587 words, about 3 min3Second Dose Timing on the Ward
A patient is given a single 80 mg dose of a drug that clears from the bloodstream so that the amount remaining after t hours is M(t) = 80(0.5)^(t/4). Hospital policy allows a second 80 mg dose only once the residual amount has fallen to 15 mg, because the total drug in the bloodstream must never exceed the 95 mg safety threshold.
544 words, about 3 min4Council Committee, Photo, and Two Offices
A student council has 12 members: 7 in grade 12, including Ava and Ben, and 5 in grade 11, including Cara and Dev. The principal asks for a 4-member fundraising committee that includes at least one member from each grade.
631 words, about 3 min5Math Fair Poster on a Binomial Expansion
For the school math fair, a student has built a display around the expansion of (2x² - 1/x)⁹. Her poster makes three claims: (i) the expansion contains a constant term; (ii) the coefficient of x² is zero, 'because no term can produce x²'; and (iii) the sum of all the coefficients in the expansion is 2⁹.
569 words, about 3 min