Motion in Baseball

Proposal Summary

            Project Directors: Chastity Colbert, Theresa Hogan, Danielle Ortega

            Project Title:  Math in Baseball

            Total Budget Figure: 1944.75

            The need for students to experience mathematics in a contextualized way is becoming more apparent as student ability to apply mathematics in real-life situations is critically deficient. This project tries to bridge a connection between the mathematics and the real world by making the connection between Algebra, motion, and baseball.  Throughout this 5 week unit, students discover the connection between motion and Algebraic concepts such as linear and quadratic functions through inquiry based labs and lessons that incorporate hands-on activities and technology.  At the end of the unit, students will use the knowledge gained throughout the project to accurately model a particular motion in baseball.

             As a result, this project hopes to make students take an interest in mathematics. Hence, it will entice students to take higher mathematics courses such as Physics and Calculus, and ultimately increase the likelihood of students choosing careers in mathematics and physics such as engineering. 

Description

            This project allows students to make vital connections between algebra in the mathematics classroom and motion in the real world, particularly in baseball.  Since many students enjoy sports, they will be very engaged throughout the unit as we incorporate baseball into mathematics.

In this project, students will explore algebraic representations of motion in baseball.  On the very first day of the unit, students will watch the anchor video and then choose partners and topics for the final project.  This final project will require students to choose an aspect of motion in baseball, model it algebraically, create some kind of visual aid about it, and then make a presentation to the class. 

            In order to accomplish the final project, students will learn about linear functions, quadratics, and parametrics.  One of the very first exploration activities is to use motion detectors and graphing calculators to recreate graphs of motion so that students can begin to understand the relationship between slope of a distance versus time graph and speed. This is, of course, a fundamental concept in calculus and physics. Thus, we are confident that this activity will pique their interest in such concepts and inspire them to continue in their mathematics education. 

            After mastering these important qualitative graphing skills, students will then concentrate on linear functions.  Since they will already have had experience with linear functions in Algebra I, they will be able to focus mostly on relating linear functions to motion with constant velocity. 

            The unit will then progress the students toward quadratic functions and their important applications in parabolic motion.  A variety of inquiry-based and benchmark lesson will be used to cover a wide range of key topics including solving for roots and transformations among others. 

            Finally, students will be introduced to parametric equations.  Students will learn to graph parametric equations and convert between parametric and rectangular equations and points.  Parametric equations will also be related to modeling motion so that students can incorporate them into their projects. 

            The remaining days of the unit will be devoted to working on the final projects and presenting them.  Thus, throughout the unit, the students are given the necessary tools to accurately model motion in baseball, and the final project will be their opportunity to demonstrate to their teachers and peers all that they have learned.

Rationale

            Too many high school students today see mathematics as just a collection of formulas to be memorized.  These formulas apply only to textbook problems which have little or no meaning outside of the classroom.  As a result, many students choose not to challenge themselves by continuing in their mathematics education after completing their required math courses.  In fact, in 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 7.9% of high school students who would later graduate were enrolled in AP calculus.  Thus, they impede their potential to excel in mathematics or technical fields later in life.

            Our project will address this issue by reducing the disparity between classroom mathematics and real-world problem solving.  In this Algebra II project, students will use algebraic functions such as linear functions, quadratics, and parametrics to model elements of motion in baseball.  We feel that a baseball theme will help students to become more engaged in mathematics.  Many students are interested in sports, but few ever consider how mathematics is involved in sports.  As a final evaluation in the project, students will select one type of motion in baseball, model it algebraically, and then make a presentation about it to the class.

            This project introduces several mathematical concepts which are fundamental for calculus and physics.  For example, students will learn about the relationship between the slope of a position graph and the corresponding velocity.  Also, students will see that a ball thrown through the air follows the path of a parabola, which is a key aspect of ballistic motion in physics.  Our goal is that the students who complete our project would go on to take higher level math and science classes and thus increase their likelihood of maintaining an interest in mathematics in the future.

Potential Impact

            The goal for this project is that the students who complete it would go on to take higher level math and science classes, thus increasing their likelihood of maintaining an interest in mathematics in the future.  By maintaining an interesting in mathematics, students ultimately learn tools such as critical thinking, understanding how and why things relate to each other, and arguing effectively and convincingly- the benefits of an interest in mathematics are truly endless.

            We have written this grant proposal for approximately 30 students and 3 teachers, although the number of students it will impact will be much greater, as the materials are reusable.  We will do this project with many Algebra II classes to come, so the student impact could essentially be limitless.

Evaluation Plan

            Throughout the unit, the students will be assessed on their mastery of the concepts taught.  We will examine these results thoroughly and modify our teaching plans accordingly.  Students will be evaluated on their final projects based on the thoroughness of their investigation, the aesthetic quality of the visual aid, their ability to choose an appropriate algebraic model and apply it, and their presentation skills. 

Since our goal is for students to continue in their math and science education, we will look at the next school year’s enrollment in upper level mathematics and science courses in our school.  We hope that a significant percentage of students who complete our project will choose to enroll themselves in these courses.   In order to assess how effective our project has been in interesting the students in future math courses, we will given them a brief questionnaire at the beginning and end of the project which will gauge their intent to continue in mathematics.  Using this assessment tool, we will be able to make necessary changes to the project for future classes in order to achieve our goal of piquing student interest in mathematics.

MOTION IN BASEBALL UNIT CALENDAR

Budget

Item	Number	Cost per Item	Total Cost
CBR motion detectors	10	$        99.00	$    990.00
Video Camera	5	$        71.00	$    355.00
Inclined Tracks	5	$      119.95	$    599.75
Total Budget			$ 1,944.75

The school will supply calculators, computers, and tennis balls for our project.  We are seeking funding for cameras, motion detectors, and tennis ball tracks.