The Calculator Controlled Robots activities are designed to engage students in hands-on inquiry-based missions. These activities address National science and technology standards, as well as specifically focusing on mathematics content and process standards. There are ten missions and three exploration extensions that provide activities for up to…

This paper presents three activities on how to analyze rates of change in real-life situations using TI-83 calculators and computer-based laboratories. Activities include 24 hour temperature data, the temperature of a light bulb, and an M&M toss. Each section contains descriptions of equipment/materials, data collection, and data analysis. The…

This project description is designed to show how graphing calculators and calculator-based laboratories (CBL) can be used to explore topics in the physics of sound. The activities address topics such as sound waves, musical notes, and chords. Teaching notes, calculator instructions, and blackline masters are included. (MM)

The abstract nature of the mole and its applications to problem solving make learning the concept difficult for students, and teaching the concept challenging for teachers. Presents activities that use concept maps and graphing calculators as tools for solving mole problems. (ASK)

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of graphing technology for the teaching of mathematics. This interest has been, in part, sparked by the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and "Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education."…

Describes a mathematics and science project designed to help students gain some familiarity with constellations and trigonometry by using the TI-83 calculator as a tool. Specific constellations such as the Big Dipper (Plough) and other sets of stars are located using stereographic projection and graphed using scatterplots. (MM)

This project description is designed to show how graphing calculators and calculator-based laboratories (CBLs) can be used to explore topics in physics and health sciences. The activities address such topics as respiration, heart rate, and the circulatory system. Teaching notes and calculator instructions are included as are blackline masters. (MM)

Education has traditionally studied the world by bringing it into the classroom. This method can result in situated learning that appears to students to have no relevance outside the classroom. Students acquire inert, decontextualized knowledge that they cannot apply to real problems. The obvious solution to this shortcoming is to reverse the…

Describes the use of Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL) technology and a projectable TI-83 graphing calculator to demonstrate the kinetic behavior of a complex reaction. Explains how the CBL is used to review first-order reactions and the graphing calculator is used to determine the rate constants for a series of consecutive first-order reactions.…

Describes the benefits of using calculator-based laboratory equipment in science classes. (WRM)

Reviews three projects that use a graphing calculator linked to a calculator-based laboratory device as a portable data-collection system for students in chemistry classes. Projects include Isolation, Purification and Quantification of Buckminsterfullerene from Woodstove Ashes; Determination of the Activation Energy Associated with the…