Week 8: Ellipses

Circles was fun and all, but we needed to expand our horizons. Ellipses, and elliptical objects are just non-uniformed circles, and after about five weeks of learning formulas and shapes, talking about ellipses doesn't seem so different. It's true we are just covering different types of shapes, but the good news is that this is our last frontier of new shapes! Speaking of frontiers, since this is our last new shape, I think it is appropriate to explore this topic by venturing into the final frontier.

This week's assignment is to play with this tool and make the best effort to find the least number of days as well as the most number of days it takes for 3 revolutions (the tool automatically stops at 3 revolutions). Also, check out this website for a more detailed description of the connection between what we have been covering with orbits and Kepler's laws. The word problems found in the book can be frustrating, but hopefully you will get a better visualization of ellipses and orbits after going through this blog post.

Visualizations can usually be very helpful, and other times they can just add to the confusion. If you are having any problems with ellipses or figuring out what we went through this week, then talk to me! Chances are you are not the only one with the same question.

This week's goal:

• Grasp a clearer visualization of word problems discussed in homework and class
• Familiarize students with meaning behind ellipses

Due dates:

• The records of the most # of days and least # of days for 3 revolutions (including speed and distance when finished) will be due next test date (which will be discussed next week)