DECATUR -- "Turn 90 degrees, straight to coordinates 25, 45, turn 90 degrees. Oops, ran into a wall." These were the sights and sounds made by students at Decatur Middle School as they tried to manipulate toy robotic cars through an obstacle course in the school technologies room March 14. This was part of a unit that couples mathematics with technology.
The students, working in pairs, were tasked with entering either a set of coordinates or degrees into a prearranged computer program to complete a lap around a preset object on the floor of their classroom.
The premise of this exercise, sponsored by the University of Arkansas, was to input the right set of numbers to either drive forward or turn the robotic vehicles.
After calculating the distance and angles of the turns, the teams plugged the car into their laptops and downloaded the program. One team member took the car and placed it at the starting line next to the tube and pressed a button, commanding the program to accept the input and go.
As the car began its run, the race was on as each team competed to be the first to complete the course.
The first car moved 10 inches forward to begin the first leg, then stopped for a second for the program to input the next movement. Slowly the car turned to the right, some ninety degrees, others 45 degrees, then moved forward for the second leg of the course. Much to the delight of the teams, the car moved along the second straightaway into the next turn. This next segment caught most of the teams because the car would turn short and crash into the center wall. It was back to the drawing board to reset the second, then third, and then the final legs of the course.
Eventually, after several attempts, three teams managed to negotiate the course and head into the finish line to a thunderous round of applause by the entire classroom. As time went on, other teams finished the course and moved on to a more challenging course when the unit ended.
The lessons learned by the students of Decatur Middle School could prepare them for the many challenges that modern technologies will present in the future. With mathematics, the young engineers gained knowledge and experience which could one day be used to guide vehicles to the moon, Mars and beyond.
General News on 03/30/2016