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Project Grant Team
John S. Pazdar Patricia L. Hirschy Project Director Principal Investigator Capital Community College Asnuntuck Community College Hartford, Connecticut Enfield, Connecticut
This project was supported, in part, by the Peter A. Wursthorn National Science Foundation Principal Investigator Opinions expressed are those of the authors Capital Community College and not necessarily those of the Foundation Hartford, Connecticut
SPINOFFS
Spinoffs are relatively short learning modules inspired by the LTAs. They can be easily
implemented to support student learning in courses ranging from prealgebra through calculus.
The Spinoffs typically give students an opportunity to use mathematics in a real world context.
LTA - SPINOFF 13A Don’t Tread On Me
LTA - SPINOFF 13B Wait a Moment for the Shear fun of it all
Julie Hess - AMATYC Writing Team Member
Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Paul Hess - AMATYC Writing Team Member
Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Krista Shaffer - NASA Scientist/Engineer
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
NASA - AMATYC - NSF 1 3. 1 0
SPINOFF 13A
Don’t Tread On Me
Spinoff 13A involves the application of mathematics to two problems encountered at the Kennedy Space Center. The first application deals with filling a tunnel with concrete; the second application deals with painting a very large flag on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
How Should We Make the Flowable Fill?
Flowable Fill is a cement-like mixture that was used to fill in a tunnel under the Crawlerway at Kennedy Space Center. It is important that the components of the concrete are mixed in the correct proportions. If the proportions are not correct, the Flowable Fill might not provide the needed support. The fill consists of 1 part Portland cement, 5 parts fly ash, 21.5 parts fine sand, and 4. parts water. That is, the parts are in the ratio 1 : 5 : 21.5 : 4.5. It was determined in LTA 13 that 690.4 yd^3 of Flowable Fill was needed to fill in the tunnel.
- Determine how many cubic yards of each substance you should mix together to create the fill.
How Much Paint Do We Need?
Suppose you are put in charge of the Building Maintenance Crew at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). It is the huge facility where the fuel tanks are attached to the Orbiter just before launch. A large American flag is painted on the side of the VAB. You are the supervisor put in charge of re- painting the flag. You first decide to check the dimensions of the flag to be sure that it meets the standard dimensions for a United States flag. Go to the Internet site http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/vab.html to find the dimensions of the flag on the VAB and go to http://www.icss.com/usflag/flag.specs.html to find the dimensions of a standard flag.
Does the current flag meet the specified dimensions? Show work to support your answer.
Use proportions to determine the width of the diameter of a star on the VAB.
