ERIC Number: EJ943371
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Oct
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0025-5769
EISSN: N/A
Geometry and the Design of Product Packaging
Cherico, Cindy M.
Mathematics Teacher, v105 n3 p194-199 Oct 2011
The most common question the author's students ask is, "When will I ever use this in real life?" To address this question in her geometry classes, the author sought to create a project that would incorporate a real-world business situation with their lesson series on the surface area and volume of three-dimensional objects--specifically, prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones. For this project, students are asked to design two versions of packaging for a product of their choice. Simulating a real-world marketing situation, students need to look at the various mathematical calculations that play an integral part in the design decisions that affect product packaging. In assessing the success of this project as a teaching tool, the author found that the use of real-world objects aided in developing conceptual understanding. Students not only used these resources to complete calculations but also were able to see how these calculations are used in real-world business decisions. (Contains 3 figures.)
Descriptors: High Schools, Mathematical Concepts, Geometry, Mathematics Instruction, Relevance (Education), Secondary School Mathematics, Measurement, Geometric Concepts, Business, Computation, Simulation, Costs, Teaching Methods
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12; Grade 9; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A