It has been my experience that it is difficult to find mathematical correlations to events that are common place in the lives of students especially students in the upper level courses. Students also find it difficult to communicate ideas across subject areas. This unit will be written with the aim of finding the concepts that will link mathematical ideas to students in advanced courses, however some attempts will be made to find connections with other mathematical levels.
The unit will consist of a narrative section that will provide the content needed to understand the mathematical problems posed. The second section will explain the mathematical ideas that emerge from the topics and show the connections that can be made. The third section will generate teaching ideas that could be used with students. The focus of the teaching application will be to utilize problem solving strategies that emphasis writing in mathematics, and strategies that have students make decisions and draw conclusions.
