Monday, August 8, 2016

Using inverse functions to create scavenger hunt?

Inverse Functions:


The idea of an inverse function is for students to "undo" another function. So to introduce

Rough Draft Idea:

The plan is to create a scavenger hunt, or for students to trace their steps using math. Assign each operation as a direction and the number associated with it is the distance.

For example, this map would be what we want the students to draw for an END product:


We get there by saying "Captain Jack Sparrow remembers how to get home from his treasure but not back too it. Good thing he wrote it down in his pirate notebook."

Addition means going east

Subtraction is going west

Multiplication is going north

Division is going south

His equation to go from his treasure back to home is    
                       


 North 20

 East 5

South 5

East 15

South 10

Voila you get the path... but we want it the other way (inverse)

Can you help him figure out what his equation would be to go from home to his treasure? Solve for x, because x marks the spot.


How to finish it up


I was thinking this would be a way to introduce the idea of inverses, so from here you could have students either pick apart the equation, step by step or "draw" the equation backwards. 


Post from Sam Shah got me thinking about something like this. 









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