Using Technology to Motivate Learning

Dr. Douglas A. Lapp

Professor of Mathematics

Central Michigan University

Purpose of This Page

The purpose of this webpage is to demonstrate how technology can be used to motivate the learning of mathematics.  Whether we use a cell phone or watch CGI movies, math is all around us making these aspects of our daily lives possible.  Here we will explore some ways technology can aid us in analyzing the world around us.

Trajectories and Determining the Winner of Home Run Derby (9/29/21)

Here we examine a partial path of a hit softball to determine how far the ball traveled horizontally.  In this investigation we explore why factoring polynomials as a means to find zeros works.

Exploring "Flattening the Curve" for COVID-19 (10/15/21)

Here we examine the meaning of the term "flattening the curve" as it relates to the spread of COVID-19.  We connect the area function to the rate of change function using a logistic model for the population as COVID-19 spreads.

Population Growth and the Logistic Curve (11/14/21)

Here we examine look at how a logistic curve behaves similar to an exponential curve early on, but then bends and levels off to a maximum value.  We often refer to this as limited growth and use it to model populations where there is a limited supply of resources.  In the early stages, there are plenty of resources to go around and so population growth is exponential (for all practical purposes).  Later, when there is competition for resources and the environment can only support a certain number of organisms (carry capacity), it is survival of the fittest.

Qualitative Behavior of Differential Equations (11/23/21)

Here we examine the graphical behavior of various differential equations and connect them to their symbolic representations.  The way equilibrium solutions attract or repel the graph are seen through the behavior of the slope field generated by the differential equation.