Introduction

Quadratic functions are essential, interesting, and easy when you get the hang of them. We have been studying quadratic equations, how to solve them, and their graphs for quite some time and it is time for some pay off!

Task

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find evidence that people out in the real world ACTUALLY USE THIS STUFF! When you find an example of people using parabolas for something in the real world, document it and briefly describe what role the parabola or quadratic function plays in the real world application. The person who finds the greatest number of applications and can explain them the most clearly within two class periods will win the love and respect of his or her peers (don’t hate, appreciate).

Process

· Your mission is to scour the Internet for evidence that parabolas, quadratic functions, and quadratic equations are actually used in the real world, for real world applications, by real world people J. Specifically you must:

1. You must create a PowerPoint presentation showing the different real world uses for quadratic functions you have found. For each application you find, make a single slide in your PowerPoint presentation that contains as much of the following as possible:

· The URL for the site you got the information from.

· Who (specific person, organization, or company) is using the quadratic/parabola and where is the work being done.

· A brief description of the research, field of study, or technology that is using the quadratic/parabola (no longer than a short paragraph)

· Any graphic you find to help illustrate the application of the quadratic/parabola.

2. Use google, yahoo, altavista, or any other search engine of your choice to find examples of parabolas and quadratic functions being used in the real world. See the Resources section of this Webquest to find tips and hints for happy hunting.

3. When you find a an example of a parabola or quadratic function being used in the real world, gather the information, pictures, and source information required to complete the slide for that specific application.

4. Your PowerPoint presentation must have a Title Slide with your name, class, period, teacher, and title of this assignment: Quadwhatic? The Answer to “When are we ever gonna’ use this stuff!

Save often and save your Presentation with the file name LastNameFirstInitial_Quadwhatic in the assignment folder inside the brewer folder on the lbhsntf8a server (lbhs_ntf8a/math/brewer/assignments).

Evaluation

Your PowerPoint Presentation will be scored according to the rubric below.

Criteria	4	3	2	1	Your Score
Creativity	Exceptional originality of presented material	Some apparent originality displayed through creative use of materials	Material presented with little originality or creative thought	Project includes little variety in presentation techniques
Content	Project is well-organized and meets all requirements	Project is well- organized and meets most requirements	Project meets half of the requirements; well-organized	Unorganized and meets less than half the requirements
Grammar	Nearly error-free which reflects clear understanding and thorough proofreading	Few grammatical and/or stylistic errors	Some errors in grammar and/or format that does not interfere with clarity	Multiple grammatical and stylistic errors
Presentation	Evidence that pride and care was taken and the message of the product is clearly defined	Clear, uncluttered, and attractive	Project appears rushed of somewhat careless, but the content is legible	Careless, hurried, and illegible presentation

Conclusion

You will see, as a result of this webquest, that the NERDY stuff we do in Algebra 2 is the foundation of astounding technologies and useful to researchers and professionals around the world. MATH IS COOL!!!

Resources

· This task can be daunting if you do not use a little guile, wit, and search-enginuity. While you can use conventional search engines conventionally to try to find this information, here is a little friendly advice on searching and surfing for the information for this assignment…

1. Many uses for quadratics can sound confusing, and pictures can help you make sense of things. Consider using a google or altavista image search for “parabola”, “quadratic graph”, “Quadratic Applications”, Quadratic Functions, etc.