21

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Century Math Projects




21
st
Century Math Projects
Project Title : CSI Algebra: Real Numbers
Standard Focus : Number, Number Sense, and
Operations
Time Range : 1-3 Days
Supplies : Pencil and Paper
Topics of Focus :
- Square root approximation
- Decimal, fraction, percent, conversion
- Scientific Notation
- The Real Number System
- Perfect Squares
This particular was mapped to the curriculum in Glencoe Algebra 1 Chapter 2 and can be used as an
enrichment or review activity.
Expressions and
Equations
6.EE
2d. Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole number
exponents, in the conventional order when there are no parentheses to
specify a particular order (Order of Operations).
The Number
System
7.NS
2. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division
and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.
The Number
System
7.NS
3. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving the four operations
with rational numbers.
The Number
System
8.NS
1. Understand informally that every number has a decimal expansion; the
rational numbers are those with decimal expansions that terminate in 0s or
eventually repeat. Know that other numbers are called irrational.
The Number
System
8.NS
2. Use rational approximations of irrational numbers to compare the size of
irrational numbers, locate them approximately on a number line diagram,
and estimate the value of expressions (e.g., 2).
Expressions and
Equations
8.EE
2. Use square root and cube root symbols to represent solutions to
equations of the form x2 = p and x3 = p, where p is a positive rational
number. Evaluate square roots of small perfect squares and cube roots of
small perfect cubes. Know that 2 is irrational.

Procedures:
A.) Student will be given the letter from Chief Harris, the possible suspects, and crime scene puzzles.
B.) Students will work in pairs or individually to solve the crime.
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Century Math Projects
C.) Students will determine which suspect should be arrested.
D.) Students will create a portfolio of evidence proving that they have arrested the right person and will
demonstrate their understanding of their mathematical content present in the problem.
*E.) Students can present their evidence to the class as an oral presentation.
*Extensions
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Century Math Projects
CSI Algebra: Real Numbers

Detectives,
A thief, working under the alias Guapo Arcsin, has caused a ruckus all throughout Central America. It is
believed that Guapo is a member of the evil genius group, the Mathemagicians. From what the
detectives have gathered thus far from the previous thefts, the Mathemagicians are building a world
conquering device.
Fortunately, Guapo has left behind a trail of notes and a cryptic text message
that he has told us will calculate toward his favorite number. Thus far there are
six suspects that police have questioned. It is hoped that someone with a
relatively strong number sense can crack some codes that have puzzled the
detectives on the case so far.
Your job is to bring Guapo to justice and save the planet. Since you are being
brought in as a specialist you have to have definitive proof in order for any arrest
to hold up in court.
You need to be prepared to state your case and demonstrate your understanding
of the following skills that Guapo is known to use in her/his notes.
- Square root approximation
- Decimal, fraction, percent, conversion
- Scientific Notation
- The Real Number System
Be sure to include:
- Other examples of the concepts
- Definitions
- Any other relevant information.
This is not a time to be sloppy. The slightest miscalculation or illegible footnote could result in a not
guilty verdict.
Oh, did I mention that use of a calculator might prematurely set off his world conquering device? Good
luck to you, gumshoe.

Chief Harris
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Century Math Projects

CSI: The Evidence
Name:_______________________________
1.
Clue

___________
2.
Clue

___________
3.
Clue

___________
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Century Math Projects

4.
Clue

___________
5.
Clue

___________
6.
Clue

___________
Cryptic Text Message
Suspect

___________
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Century Math Projects
Who is Guapo Arcsin?

Name: Stillman
Occupation: College
Student
Favorite Number: -7

Name: Charmelle
Occupation: Mechanical
Engineer
Favorite Number:

Name: Hiram
Occupation: Doctor
Favorite Number: 6

Name: Logan
Occupation: Politician
Favorite Number : 13

Name: Pedro
Occupation: Fire Fighter
Favorite Number:

Name: Eden
Occupation: Organic
Food Grower
Favorite Number: 0

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Century Math Projects
Scene #1 Machu Picchu - Peru
At about 12:24, Guapo Arcsin broke into the famous Incan ruins and stole an Intihuatana stone.
The Intihuatana is a ritual South American stone used to tell time.
Hello Peru Peeps and Police,
To let you know upfront, I plan on conquering the world. Okay,
now that I have your attention, I figure Ill give you a fighting
chance to stop me. MuHahahahahaha. If found this riddle carved
into an Incan temple.
Figure out a number that fits all three of these criteria.
1. A is a WHOLE NUMBER
2. A is a two digit perfect square
3. A > |-7| +

Please be aware I will later send you a CRYPTIC PUZZLE SOLVER TEXT MESSAGE.
Sincerely Yours, A=_______
Guapo Arcsin

Scene #2 Mayan Ruins -- Mexico
Four rare, limestone cornerstones were extracted from the ruins of a Mayan ceremonial platform.
These stones could perhaps lay the foundation for a devastating world conquering device.
My Dearest,
Since I havent been captured yet, Ive been thinking about running for Congress!
Ill make the next one an easy one. I have run three different opinion polls.
Which one is the best?
G.
11 out of every 20 voters is expected to vote for me!
.
The percentage of voters that are expected to vote for me is 54%!
P.
There are 240,000 expected to vote, and of these, 130,000 are expected to vote for me!
This letter = -6 ______=-6
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Century Math Projects
Scene #3 Andes Mountains -- Colombia
Thursday night, Guapo Arcsin traversed the mountains and shaved two dozen alpacas. While
its unclear what he plans to do with the wool, there are now many cold and confused alpacas.
He carved this note into the mountain.
Greetings Police Officer,
I see that my first puzzle has befuddled even the best of you. Ive made the next
one even harder. Remember my World Conquering Device will go off at the touch
of a calculator.


Q=_______
Give up yet? Your Friend,
Guapo Arcsin



Scene #4 Panama Canal -- Panama
An oiler tanker ship was reported missing from the canal. Apparently the captain decided to go ashore
to eat a sandwich and was shocked to find this note in place of his boat.
To Whom It May Concern,
Im sure you are thoroughly confused by now. Hopefully you dont arrest the
wrong person!
1. A = the denominator of 125/1000 when it is written in lowest terms.
2. B = the number of minutes in a day divided by 360.
3.
4. Mystery Letter = Approximation of on the number line.



Mystery Letter = 32 ______= 32
1.)
Q is a RATIONAL NUMBER
2.)

3.)

4 5 6
7
A G Q W Y B
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Century Math Projects
Scene #5 St. Cecilia Acatitlan -- Mexico
An unknown amount of rubble and multiple Aztec jade masks depicting various gods were
stolen. Guapo has successfully robbed the Aztec, Incans, and Mayans. Its unknown what hes
capable ofhe must be stopped quick.
Whats Good,
Im getting bored. I decided to make some of my own wall art.
Which point most accurately represents ?



Which point most accurately represents ? Use
your previous answer. (HINT: C=3, A=1, L=12 etc.)





Which point most accurately represents ?




Which point most accurately represents ?




Round your last answer to the nearest integer and you might have figured out me out.
Final Letter = Rounded Answer ____ =____
We will be deploying our device soon. Good luck.
Happy Holidays,
Guapo Arcsin
10 11
12
13
A C
C
L
L
U
U S
3 4 5 6
A M T H
-1 0 1
2
A A T C U Q D R I
-3
-2
-1
0
S G
P

Q
W
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Century Math Projects
Scene #6 Museo Nacional de Antropologia Mexico City
Three rare, blind Egyptian six legged mice were stolen from the National Museum of Anthropology.
We suspect Guapo Arcsin will be using their abnormal DNA as part of his World Conquering Device.
Hola,
Como estas? Muy bien gracias. Im liking this Spanishness! I want to play some futbol!
Elegir la respuesta con los nmeros en orden de menor a mayor.

= El numro de letras en la palabra es la respuesta.
Adios Amigos,
Seor Guapo Arcsin

CRYPTIC PUZZLE SOLVER TEXT MESSAGE
omg u arent gonna figure this out my
num is perfect
(-Q)^(G/P) - (SQRT(A-W)) - 3Q

rofl Guapo Too Slick Arcsin
=____
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Century Math Projects




Thank you for being my Math Friend!

If you liked this
21
st
Century Math Project
You might like others. (Click the logo)


Math it Up.
Boomdiggy.

21
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Century Math Projects
Who is Guapo Arcsin?

Name: Stillman
Occupation: College
Student
Favorite Number: -7

Name: Charmelle
Occupation: Mechanical
Engineer
Favorite Number:

Name: Hiram
Occupation: Doctor
Favorite Number: 6

Name: Logan
Occupation: Politician
Favorite Number : 13

Name: Pedro
Occupation: Fire Fighter
Favorite Number:

Name: Eden
Occupation: Organic
Food Grower
Favorite Number: 0

21
st
Century Math Projects
Scene #1 Machu Picchu - Peru
At about 12:24, Guapo Arcsin broke into the famous Incan ruins and stole an Intihuatana stone.
The Intihuatana is a ritual South American stone used to tell time.
Hello Peru Peeps and Police,
To let you know upfront, I plan on conquering the world. Okay,
now that I have your attention, I figure Ill give you a fighting
chance to stop me. MuHahahahahaha. If found this riddle carved
into an Incan temple.
Figure out a number that fits all three of these criteria.
1. A is a WHOLE NUMBER {0,1,2,3,4}
2. A is a two digit perfect square {16, 25, 36,}
3. A > |-7| +

A > 7 +64 A>71

A must be 81 to fulfill the two prior conditions . A=81 Will be used in the text message.
Please be aware I will later send you a CRYPTIC PUZZLE SOLVER TEXT MESSAGE.
Sincerely Yours, A=_______81
Scene #2 Mayan Ruins -- Mexico
Four rare, limestone cornerstones were extracted from the ruins of a Mayan ceremonial platform.
These stones could perhaps lay the foundation for a devastating world conquering device.
My Dearest,
Since I havent been captured yet, Ive been thinking about running for Congress!
Ill make the next one an easy one. I have run three different opinion polls.
Which one is the best?
G.
11 out of every 20 voters is expected to vote for me! 55%
.
The percentage of voters that are expected to vote for me is 54%!
P.
There are 240,000 expected to vote, and of these, 130,000 130,000 / 240,000 54.167%
This letter = -6 G______=-6
21
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Century Math Projects
Scene #3 Andes Mountains -- Colombia
Thursday night, Guapo Arcsin traversed the mountains and shaved two dozen alpacas. While
its unclear what he plans to do with the wool, there are now many cold and confused alpacas.
He carved this note into the mountain.
Greetings Police Officer,
I see that my first puzzle has befuddled even the best of you. Ive made the next
one even harder. Remember my World Conquering Device will go off at the touch
of a calculator.


Q=_______
Give up yet? Your Friend,
Guapo Arcsin



Scene #4 Panama Canal -- Panama
An oiler tanker ship was reported missing from the canal. Apparently the captain decided to go ashore
to eat a sandwich and was shocked to find this note in place of his boat.
To Whom It May Concern,
Im sure you are thoroughly confused by now. Hopefully you dont arrest the
wrong person!
1. A = the denominator of 125/1000 when it is written in lowest terms. 1/8 - > x=8
2. B = the number of minutes in a day divided by 360. 24*60 / 360 = 4
3. SQRT(8*4) = SQRT(32) = W
4. Mystery Letter = Approximation of on the number line.



Mystery Letter = 32 w______= 32
1.)
Q is a RATIONAL NUMBER
2.)

3.)

4 5 6
7
A G Q W Y B
Q is a fraction
X = 4.2/1.4 * 10^5 / 10^3
X = 300
60/300 -> 1/5 = Q , Q goes into the
text message

21
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Century Math Projects
Scene #5 St. Cecilia Acatitlan -- Mexico
An unknown amount of rubble and multiple Aztec jade masks depicting various gods were
stolen. Guapo has successfully robbed the Aztec, Incans, and Mayans. Its unknown what hes
capable ofhe must be stopped quick.
Whats Good,
Im getting bored. I decided to make some of my own wall art.
Which point most accurately represents ?



Which point most accurately represents ?
(HINT: C=3, A=1, L=12 etc.) U=21 SQRT(21) = A





Which point most accurately represents ?
SQRT(ABS(1-6)) = SQRT(ABS(-5)) = SQRT(5) = C




Which point most accurately represents ?
SQRT(3) 5 = P




Round your last answer to the nearest integer and you might have figured out me out.
Final Letter = Rounded Answer ____ =____
We will be deploying our device soon. Good luck. P=-3 this goes into the text message.
10 11
12
13
A C
C
L
L
U
U S
3 4 5 6
A M T H
-1 0 1
2
A A T C U Q D R I
-3
-2
-1
0
S G
P

Q
W
21
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Century Math Projects
Scene #6 Museo Nacional de Antropologia Mexico City
Three rare, blind Egyptian six legged mice were stolen from the National Museum of Anthropology.
We suspect Guapo Arcsin will be using their abnormal DNA as part of his World Conquering Device.
Hola,
Como estas? Muy bien gracias. Im liking this Spanishness! I want to play some futbol!
Elegir la respuesta con los nmeros en orden de menor a mayor.

CORRECT

= El numro de letras en la palabra es la respuesta. Number of letter in word = 5

Adios Amigos,
Seor Guapo Arcsin

CRYPTIC PUZZLE SOLVER TEXT MESSAGE
omg u arent gonna figure this out my
num is perfect
(-Q)^(G/P) - (SQRT(A-W)) - 3Q
(5 (1/5)(5))^(-6/-3) SQRT(81-32) 3(1/5)(5) After
simplifying = 6 = Hiram
rofl Guapo Too Slick
=___5