Problem Overview

Problem

Problem Title: The Popcorn Tin Course: Algebra 2 Author(s): Megan Pacheco and Kevin Gant

A manufacturing company wants to measure the efficiency of its packaging. Currently, they produce a popcorn tin that is a rectangular prism with a square base. They are considering designing a new tin with the same base and twice the height of the old tin. Determine which tin is more efficient. Be sure to justify mathematically.

Standards/Big Ideas Addressed

Rational functions: The student formulates equations and inequalities based on rational functions, uses a variety of methods to solve them, and analyzes the solutions in terms of the situation. The student analyzes various representations of rational functions with respect to problem situations.

Likely units/big ideas that came before this problem

Most Typically done soon after quadratics.

Likely units/big ideas that come after this problem

Graphing Rational Functions, asymptotes, inequalities. Thereafter, exponential functions and logarithms.

Assumptions about Student Prior Knowledge

Students should already know How to distribute and un-distribute How to find the area of rectangles and squares, and volume of regular prisms (though this is easily researchable) n m (n-m) Exponent rules (like x /x = x , etc.)

Phase Roll out (k/ntk/next steps)

Facilitation Notes Anticipated Student Notes/tips including time Action for phase
Students will likely identify these KNOWs: box is a rectangular prism square base second box is twice as high, but same base And if they have prior knowledge about efficiency, they might KNOW: efficiency relates surface area to volume efficiency is a ratio Total Roll-out time: 25 minutes

Assessment

Beware: if someone says efficiency is a ratio of surface

 efficiency is a ratio of volume to surface area Likely NTKs: What is efficiency? How do we find efficiency? What is a rectangular prism? Likely Next Steps Look up what efficiency might mean. Look up rectangular prism (If they know what the efficiency might be) find surface area or volume of box.

area to volume. thats incorrect (check out solution to see why), so you might need to ask the question, Do you know that? or how do you know?

It is a good idea to publicly elicit from every group what their next step will be, so that you know what everyone is going to do, and so that it normalizes that everyone is to start working on a next step.

Student work time

Some students will go for writing out variables for an expression of the volume and area. Others may assume actual dimensions of the box, so that they can actually calculate volume and surface area.

Time for Student work: 25 minutes Recommend different students with different colors of pen, all working on same large piece of paper. Doesnt really matter which approach students take (variable or definite dimensions) they should get the same conclusion.

Informal/formative assessment of both mathematical skill, and group collaboration.

Likely online searches: rectangular prism efficiency

People may get stuck, some may not. To groups that arent making progress, especially about efficiency, you might want to offer hints to some that are stuck, as you circulate around. Have you noticed that most of the definitions for efficiency are ratios? Do you know of gas efficiency? Miles per Gallon ie Miles:Gallon ie

miles gallon
That is a ratio of (something useful)/(input of energy or material) What is the use of a box? What purpose does it serve? If you are manufacturing a box, what is the energy or material input? Great opportunity for students to receive

Sharing out

At least 2 groups present their work so far. Most will likely not

Group 1 Sharing out: 10 min Group 2 Sharing out: 10 min

have the problem done. However, they should be able to state assumptions that they made, and describe the problem-solving process that they used up to this point. Groups that are not presenting should be listening, and can be invited to provide questions and comments to those that are presenting.

Follow up questions: 10 min Best to select the groups that are presenting, including at least one group that is definitely on the right track. Its ok if the work is not complete. This is a way to have students provide other groups with instruction. Socratic questioning can be used to get groups on the right track. Time can vary20 40 minutes If a group finishes early, but had a largely heuristic approach, then they may not be able to make much progress on the follow up problems. You might decide to have a workshop for some of those students, or direct them to try the problem anew using variables This will probably be necessary especially for those students who did not create expressions for the efficiency with variables.

informal feedback from their peers (thumbs up/down/sideways, or something similar) on Oral Communication.

Work time*

Students start to incorporate the ideas that they saw in the sharing out that just happenedand complete the problem. Groups that finish early can get started on follow-up assignment.

Direct instruction * (this can occur at different times, as long as students work on the problem first) Final Action on Problem

Discussion of canceling out both single variables and polynomials in a rational expression, with practice factoring.

2 new groups present. Groups convert work on large piece of paper to formal writeup, according to problem writeup rubric.

Group 1: 10 minutes Group 2: 10 minutes

Note that not all groups must present. You might want to have only the groups that did NOT present turn in their work as a formal write-up.

All groups receive work ethic grade according to the extent to which they finish the work in class. Those that turn in formal write up receive Work Ethic, Written Communication, and Content grades.

*These are typically optional, depending upon the nature/quality of the initial sharing out of students.

Extension

Follow Up Here are two possibilities: 1. What would be more efficient a rectangular prism with square base (side length = x) or a triangular prism with right triangle base (each leg lengths = x)? Assume that both tins are the same height. 2. Graph the efficiency as a function of the size of x (side of the base), of either tin. Discuss what happens to the function when x = 0. Explain the physical

meaning of this. Practice Problems 1. For the given figure, write and simplify a rational expression for the ratio of the perimeter to its area: Rectangle: 2x x+6 5x Square:

2. Simplify the rational expression, if possible:

48a 2 a. 16a

12 y 4 b. 12 y 2 18 y

6z 2 24z c. 2z 2 8z

3. A bookseller uses shipping cartons in the shape of rectangular prisms. The cartons have the same size base vary in heights. Describe how the efficiency of the carton but changes as the height increases. Justify your answer.

h cm 26cm 24cm

4. Standardized Test Question: The expression

2

a 2x 5 simplifies to . What is a? 2x 5x 6 x6
B. 2x 2 5x 1 C. 2x 2 3x 5 D. 2x 2 7x 5

A. 2x 2 7x 5

Solution to Problem

Step 1: Define Efficiency

Efficiency = ratio of volume held/material of box (ie surface area) This way, if a box holds a larger volume, with the same amount of surface area, then the denominator gets larger, making the whole ratio larger, which means the efficiency is higher.

h Step 2: Determine volume and surface area of the first box

Area of Base = Length Width = xx = x2 x Height of original box = h Volume = Height Length Width = h x2 = hx2 Surface area of one side = xh

Entire surface area = surface area of base + surface area of top (which is the same as the base) + surface of 4 sides. S = x2 + x2 + 4(xh) = 2x2 + 4xh

Step 3: Create an expression for the efficiency of the first box and simplify So efficiency of first box =

volume hx 2 2 surface.area 2x 4 xh

Because there is variable x in the every term, you can simplify this by dividing every term by x:

hx x 2x 4 xh 2x 4h x x
2

hx 2

(Another way to look at this is to factor out x from both denominator and numerator, and then cancel xs) \

hx 2 x(hx) hx 2 2x 4 xh x(2x 4h) 2x 4h

Step 4: Determine volume, surface area and efficiency of box 2 Lets take a look at the second package, that has the same base, but is twice as tall. Reminder: First boxs height = h Second boxs height = h2 = 2h

Reminder: First boxs surface area = S1 = x2 + x2 + 4xh = 2x2 + 4xh Second boxs surface area = S2 = x2 + x2 + 4x2h = 2x2 + 8xh

Reminder: First boxs volume = h x2 = hx2 Second boxs volume = 2h x2 = 2hx2

Efficiency of Second box =

volume 2hx 2 surface.area 2x 2 8xh

In every term this time, there is a common factor of 2x. Lets simplify by dividing all terms by 2x:

2hx 2 2x 2 2x

2x 8xh

2x

hx x 4h

or by factoring a 2x out:

2hx 2 2x(hx) hx 2 2x 8xh 2x(x 4h) x 4h

Step 5: Compare efficiency of the two boxes

Now, lets compare expressions for efficiency for both boxes:

Box 1 efficiency =

hx 2x 4h

Box 2 efficiency =

hx x 4h

Since both fractions have the same numerator, but box 1 has a larger denominator, the overall ratio (ie fraction) for box 1 is smaller, i.e. its efficiency is smaller.

Therefore, box 2 is more efficient.