Engineering--A Context for Learning Mathematics: The Case of Guitar Fret Spacing

In conjunction with local middle schools, the Make to Learn Lab in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia offered a two-week Summer Engineering Academy for students who completed an introductory engineering course during the previous school year. In that course,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Technology and engineering teacher Vol. 82; no. 2; pp. 14 - 18
Main Authors:	Garofalo, Joe, Corum, Kimberly, Rutter, James
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	International Technology and Engineering Educators Association 01-10-2022
Subjects:	Learning Activities Middle School Students Musical Instruments STEM Education Summer Programs Virginia
Online Access:	Get more information
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Summary:	In conjunction with local middle schools, the Make to Learn Lab in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia offered a two-week Summer Engineering Academy for students who completed an introductory engineering course during the previous school year. In that course, students worked with circuits and advanced manufacturing equipment to build artifacts, such as solenoids, motors, and speakers. One example of how engineering projects from the Academy were used as contexts for students' exploration of previous and new mathematics topics is shared here. In this example, students algebraically determined where to place frets on the fretboard of a stringed instrument they were designing and along the way made use of a fractional exponent that was beyond what they experienced in prior courses.
ISSN:	2158-0502