There were 6 participants: 3 from San Mateo, 2 from Castro Valley and 1 all the way from Sunnyvale. They all have had some exposure to Algebra and Geometry, but they were easily following along and discovering patterns in the exploration about finding the slopes of curves. They all took home a workbook with applied problems should they feel like practicing their newfound skills.
Calculus is a field of math combining Algebra and Geometry, so anybody familiar with graphing lines can learn "The Derivative Pattern" linking distance, velocity and acceleration. Armed with this tool, you can easily find the position, the instantaneous velocity and acceleration of projectiles anywhere (or anytime) on their trajectory.
Run "The Pattern" backwards and you can calculate the exact area between two curves or under some pretty strange shapes. That's Session 3, in two weeks!
I'm confident a "top-down" math class like this, given once a week, is sufficient to impart some serious skills in school-age kids and adults alike!
Stay tuned for more...
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