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Conics and Space
Grade: High School
Subject: Advanced Math
Curricular Goal: Discover a practical use of parabolas.
Introduction:
Have you ever wondered why you bothered to study conic sections? The
purpose of this activity is to expose you to the different ways conic
sections are used in telescopes.
Task:
Your task is to prepare to construct a telescope which uses the various conic
sections. The purpose of this task is to approximate the cost to build, to
estimate the range, and to build a small working model.
Process:
I. Research on the
internet the way telescopes work and how they are constructed.
II. Draw and design a blueprint of a
working telescope.
III. Calculate the cost of materials needed
for construction of this telescope.
IV. Write a short summary of the
capabilities of the telescope.
V. Explain what factors would enhance
or detract from the range of the telescope.
VI. Describe the mathematical significance
of altering the dimensions of the different conic sections.
VII. Build a scale model of the telescope.
Resources:
http://www.math.iupui.edu/m261vis/LMirror/mirrorproof.html
http://www.math.iupui.edu/m261vis/LMirror/LMirror.htm
http://www.astro.ubc.ca/LMT/lmt.html
http://wood.phy.ulaval.ca/lmt/LMTPIC_0.html
Evaluation:
The project will be evaluated based on its accuracy and funtionalbility.
Conclusion:
We hope this project has given you an appreciation of the use of conics in the
real world. To extend your knowledge of the use of conics, you may want to
explore the different use of conics in microscopes.
Authors: Jim Hallett, Matt Vosburgh, Steve
Ellis
Created: October 8, 1999