Squeak
GPS Challenge
 Description
In this activity Norbert and Zot are world travelers.
Your student's job will
be to locate them with
the GPS. Every time they
click on Norbert and Zot,
Norbert and Zot travel
to a new location (sometimes
up in space!).Norbert and
Zot will send you their
distances from three of
the color coded satellites
above the earth to your
students. They will have
to enter the distances
into the GPS boxes at the
left and then locate Norbert
and Zot by pressing the
appropriate trilaterate
button for their system
of three satellites.
Instructional Objectives
The student will
- learn geometry theorems.
Specifically they will
learn that it takes three
crossing circles to determine
a point in a plane and
that the centers of the
circles must not be on
a line. The specific theorems
aren't nearly as important
as the experience exploring
geometry and seeing how
it can be used in a practical
application. Also students
can learn more geometry
theorems through exploration
in Squeak.
- learn about spatial
dimensions. The activity
is an excellent jumping
off point for exploring
the difference between
two and three dimensions
by researching how a GPS
works in three dimensions
and comparing it to the
activity in two dimensions.
Then they can think about
how a GPS would locate
positions in a one-dimensional
world.
- learn how a GPS locates
positions on Earth.
- learn where places
are on the Earth.
Go
to Squeak GPS Challenge
Web Activity
|
