Calc III projects - part 4

Here are some projects I found online.  Again, my emphasis is on projects that have a modeling aspect to them.


  • Thermoclines:  An article by Bruder and Kohler about a calc lab to investigate thermoclines.  Data is collected and students use a fitting program to fit a multivariable function to the data.  The lab only requires items that can be obtained from our supply room or a hardware store.  While the article is about the pedagogy, there is enough information for students to execute the lab on their own.
  • Amusement park rides:  Although the mathematical details of this project are a little fuzzy, the description in the article below provides an opportunity for a project using physics and parametric curves.  The students in the article built rides from a set with motors.  There would have to be a financial outlay to do this.  "An AP Calculus Classroom Amusement Park" by Sarah Ferguson, The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 109, No. 7 (March 2016), pp. 514-519.
  • Helical stairway:  In this article, the author shares with his multivariable calculus class the interchange between him and a carpenter on the practical and theoretical details of building a helical stairway by pouring concrete. "A Helical Stairway Project" by Tom Farmer, The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Sep., 2008), pp. 291-298.
  • Home insulation:  This article lays out a student project for finding the optimal home attic insulation for a home of their choice.  While the project could be done without multivariable calculus, it is a specific modeling course with some sophistication.  "The Optimal Level of Insulation in a Home Attic", by Paul Martin and Kirthi Premadasa, The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2 (March 2012), pp. 165-168.

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