Geometry: New Tools for New Technologies: Hour 2: Unit 5: Gridville

How is geometry used to program a robot's movement? How do zoo planners use geometry to make habitats that are enjoyable and safe? Why do people who plan garbage pickups and snowplow routes need geometry? Geometry: New Tools for New Technologies I and II explore the exciting world of Geometry in the 20th century.

The six shows in this video series demonstrate contemporary geometry in action. In the videos, your students learn about applications to architecture, archaeology, DNA research, packaging design, fire station location, scheduling events, and others. The accompanying print materials give your students the opportunity to take part in the mathematical modeling of these situations. The videos range in length from about 8 minutes to about 11.5 minutes. The print materials for each video include a video viewing guide, a set of discussion questions, and one or two sets of exercises.

Unit 5: Gridville (8:03)

Summary of the Video

The video begins with action shots of the Kensington, Maiyland, fire department, with the narrative discussing the importance of fire station location. Kensington fire chief Jim Stanton discusses the process used to identify locations for Kensington's new Glenmont fire station and the criteria used to identify those locations. Chuck Boynton and Murray Hunt discuss community concerns about fire station relocation.

Following the video, students identify response time as the key factor in fire station location. Two statistics, average response time and maximum response time, are considered and compared. Students investigate the location problem in a simple town with just a single street and only a few houses, and then they extend the results from this one-dimensional problem to a two-dimensional town with streets laid out in a grid. The two-dimensional problem necessitates an alternate way of thinking about the concept of distance.

Video support materials are available as part of COMAP full membership. Each video is accompanied by a user's guide with reproducible student exercises and quizzes.