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Activities that Illustrate Precalculus Concepts

Explore precalculus concepts through hands-on activities that make abstract math concrete. Engage students in graphing linear and quadratic functions, function composition, inverse functions, sorting, and completing the square. These activities have been proven effective in engaging students and are classroom-tested.

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Activities that Illustrate Precalculus Concepts

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  1. I’ll plug it in -b/2a I’ll add a I’ll add 4a Activities that Illustrate Precalculus Concepts David B. Sher Mat/Sta/CMP Dept. Nassau Community College

  2. Engaging the Students • Mathematics can be abstract. • Acting out a concept makes it concrete. • Students become involved and engaged. • Activities exist for teaching • Graphing Linear Functions • Graphing Quadratic Functions • Function Composition • Inverse Functions

  3. Initial Activity - Sorting • Approach was developed for computer topics. • Efficient Sorting is useful for educators. • Quicksort is fast for sorting more than 15. • Introduced by sorting students (last names).

  4. Linear functions (y=mx+b) • Set up a row as X values. • Middle student is x=0 (y axis). • Student finds y value (b). • Student to left (x=1) finds value (m+b). • Students notice that each student has value of student to right + m. -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

  5. Function Composition & Inverses My 3 becomes a 9 • Give functions to several students. • Name functions after students. • Set up assembly line of students to compose their functions. • Playing Reverses Can teach inverse fns. Your 9 becomes a 10

  6. I’ll plug it in -b/2a I’ll add a I’ll add 4a Completing the Square • Can form the students into a relay team • Each student does one step of completing the square.

  7. Precalculus Activities • Engages Students • Makes technique concrete. • Effective in Computer Science. • Classroom tested.

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