Excel Animations - a 9th Grade Project

Participants will explore how Excel can be used as a tool to teach math concepts, by

investigating a particular project from a 9th grade math class at High Tech High. In

this project students learned how to perform mathematical transformations (translation,

dilation, reflection, rotation) on images. In this workshop you will go through the

same (but abbreviated) process as the students and create a story through the use

of mathematical transformations. The final product is an animated gif of the story.

Mathematical concepts learned in this project are: functions, functional transformations,

matrices.

Part 1: Introductory Activity

Transformation Activity Sheet

Transformation Excel File

Part 2: Animation

Timeline and Instructions

Sample Excel Worksheet - DogChase

Sample Gif file - Dog Chase

Sample Excel Worksheet - Archer - Curved Motion Path

Sample Gif file - Archer

Part 3: Closing Activities

Matrices and Transformations

Vectors and Transformations

Samples of Student Work

 Rachel & Tyler

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook

 Josh and Josh

First Excel Workbook

Animation

 

 Sharon and Savanah

Animation

Excel Worksheet

 Juliet & Christian

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook

 Isaac and Robert

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook

 Crockett and Walker

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook

 Trevor and Ezio

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook

 Brian and Jimmy

First Excel Workbook

Animation

 

 Indika and Jazzay

First Excel Workbook

Animation

Second Excel Workbook


 
 

Centroid Project - a 12th Grade Project

The goal is to find the Center of Mass (or Centroid) of a two dimensional shape. 

Students use methods of numerical integration and use Excel as a tool to find the balance point of a two dimensional object.

Project Instructions

Samples of Student Work 

Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
Sample 5
Sample 6