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It's the Pi Day of the century, 3.1415 (March 14, 2015), and the Education Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has crafted another stellar math challenge to show students of all ages how NASA scientists and engineers use the mathematical constant pi.
The 2015 problem set -- available as a web infographic and printable handouts -- features four real-world, NASA math problems for students in grades 4 through 11, including: calculating the dizzying number of times a Mars rover's wheels have rotated in 11 years; finding the number of images it will take the Dawn spacecraft to map the entire surface of the dwarf planet Ceres (the first dwarf planet to be explored); learning the potential volume of water on Jupiter's moon Europa; and discovering what fraction of a radio beam from our most distant spacecraft reaches Earth.
The word problems, which were crafted by NASA/JPL education specialists with the help of scientists and engineers, give students insight into the real calculations space explorers use every day and a chance to see some of the real-world applications of the math they're learning in school.
To download the problem set and view the activity details, including the Common Core standards addressed, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/piday2015
As part of its Pi Day celebration, JPL Education is inviting students and teachers, as well as members of the public, to share their answers to this year's Pi Day challenge on Twitter by tweeting to @NASAJPL_Edu with the hashtag #PiDay.
Answers will be revealed on Monday, March 16, with a companion infographic that walks students through the steps needed to find a solution to each problem.
To view last year's -- and the first ever -- "Pi in the Sky" infographic and math challenge, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=398.
For more educational infographics, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/.
The JPL Education Office provides formal and informal educators, parents and students with NASA science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) content, including resources, classroom activities and internship opportunities. To learn more, visit the JPL Education homepage at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/
Get latest updates from the JPL Education Office by following us on Twitter @NASAJPL_Edu, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NASAJPLStudents, Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/NASAJPL_Edu and Vine at http://www.vine.co/NASAJPL_Edu
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