Day 2: Math 2

The Math of Roller Coasters: Key Features of Graphs of Quadratic Equations

Mathematics Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to find the roots of a quadratic equation using a graph.
Students will be able to write a quadratic equation in vertex form.
Students will be able to shift a parabola left or right or up or down using vertex form.
Students will be able to describe the domain and range of a parabola.
Students will be able to determine where a parabola is increasing or decreasing.
Language Objectives:
1. Language Function: Explain
2. Vocabulary and Symbols: Domain, Range, Increasing, Decreasing, Positive, Negative, Vertex, Minimum,
Roots, Shift, Vertex Form
3. Mathematical Precision: Students will be able to explain where a function is increasing or decreasing.
Students will be able to explain what the domain and range values are. Students will be able to explain
where the vertex/maximum are using a graph and an equation in vertex form.
4. Syntax: Students will learn how to write a quadratic in vertex form and how to write the domain, range,
increasing, decreasing, positive, and negative.
5. Language Supports: Students are asked to use the language frequently and consider the vocabulary with
graphs and equations.
Essential Question:
How can we model a roller coaster using quadratic equations? What are important features and characteristics
of graphs of quadratic equations?
North Carolina Mathematics Standards:
NC.M2.F-IF.7 Analyze functions using different representations.
Analyze quadratic, square root, and inverse variation functions by generating different representations, by hand
in simple cases and using technology for more complicated cases, to show key features, including: domain and
range; intercepts; intervals where the function is increasing, decreasing, positive, or negative; rate of change;
maximums and minimums; symmetries; and end behavior.
NC.M2.F-BF.3 Build new functions from existing functions. Understand the effects of the graphical and
tabular representations of a linear, quadratic, square root, and inverse variation function f with 𝑘 ∙ 𝑓(𝑥), 𝑓(𝑥) +
𝑘, 𝑓(𝑥 + 𝑘) for specific values of 𝑘 (both positive and negative).
NC.M2.F-IF.4 Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context.
Interpret key features of graphs, tables, and verbal descriptions in context to describe functions that arise in
applications relating two quantities, including: domain and range, rate of change, symmetries, and end behavior.
Common Core State Mathematical Practice Standards:
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 – Model with mathematics.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP7 – Look for and make use of structure.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP8 – Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Materials: Student access: www.student.desmos.com
Slides 5-8 of these Google Slides: Individual computers
https://tinyurl.com/ybqve287 SMART Board or projector to share student
Desmos Activity: https://tinyurl.com/ybbff6zn responses in teacher view & Audio for video
Class Code for Desmos Activity: 7GXV7
Differentiation: This lesson gives the student with Autism a chance to interact with others when they want.
This student will also receive the filled in notes. The student with dyslexia and dysgraphia will receive copy of
the notes and will be paired with the student that they work best with. The student that is an English Language
Learner has the opportunity to practice speaking and using the vocabulary.
Notes to the reader:
This will be an inquiry-based lesson. The first day we looked at key features of quadratic graphs where a=1.
Today we will examine where a=-1. The following day we will combine these features and look at how to
stretch a quadratic equation.
Time: 90 minutes
Time What is the teacher doing? (Be sure to include What are students doing?
questions the teacher will ask and academic
language supports)
7 Launch Participate in launch activities.
mins Goal: To prepare students to work on the task for
the day exploring key features of quadratic
equations with a=-1 using the perspective of a
roller coaster as a parabola.
Share the goal for the day with students.
Explain that we will be looking at roller coasters Some students may know this roller coaster since
and trying to plot their shape to find an equation it is in North Carolina at Carowinds, but others
to model their shape. Explain that we will be may not. Share the video so we all have an
picking up with where we left off yesterday, but understanding.
now we want to look at the hills for a roller
coaster and not the drops.
Play video.
Ask if they could think of how to model the hill Students may struggle to identify this and may
of this roller coaster. Explain that it does not have suggest measuring it in real-life, etc.
to fit perfectly and will not. To make this actual Parabola or a quadratic.
shape we would need to use piecewise functions
which we will learn later.
Ask them to open Desmos to use for today’s
lesson.
3 Slide 1 Students will work through the first two slides in
mins Goal: For students to identify how to reflect the Desmos.
parabola over the x-axis using a negative.
Use pacing so students can only work on this
slide.
Ask students how they know what the equation They tried different things and found that if they
is. negated it, it looked like a hill.
Ask students what this negative sign did the It reflected it over the x-axis.
parabola?
10 Slides 2-4
mins Goal: For students to determine how to translate
the parabola up or down.
Use pacing so students can only work through
slides 2-4
Ask students how they changed their expression We added to move up and subtracted to move
to move the parabola up or down. What was this down. This was called k in vertex form.
called yesterday?
Show overlay of student answers. Example in instructional resources.
15 Slides 5-6
min
 Goal: For students to refresh themselves on
vertex form from yesterday and to remember
what h and k do.
Using pacing so students can only work on these
slides.
Ask how to move a parabola right or left.
Ask how to move a parabola up or down.
Ask a student to explain vertex form to all of us
and its benefits.
Give students (x-3)^2+5. Ask them to convert
this to standard form and compare the two. Ask
when one would be more useful than another.
Comparing standard form and vertex form,
explain why h moves in the opposite direction
than you would think.
15 Slides 7-11
min Goal: Students will review their skills of
identifying the vertex, identifying the increasing
and decreasing sections, and intersections or x-
intercepts from the previous day with a parabola
where a=-1.
Use pacing to keep them on only these slides.
Share student responses. Ask individual students
to convince everyone of their answers. They must
use reasoning and justification. Use students with
correct and incorrect answers so we can
understand misconceptions and learn from them.
Where is the vertex of the Fury 325?
Where are the x-intercepts for the Fury 325 with
the ground?
Where is the Fury 325 increasing and decreasing?
(𝑥 − ℎ) + 𝑘, change h in the opposite direction of
where you want to move it (square changes
things)
Change k in the direction that meets what you
expect
Vertex form helps you find the vertex really
easily rather than having to think a lot about it.
The h tells you how it moves right and left and it
goes in the opposite direction that you think. The
k tells us how to move up and down and it goes
with what you think.
x^2 – 6x +14
Standard form would be good for factoring.
Vertex form would be good for solving by square
roots. Vertex form would be useful for graphing
and finding the vertex of the parabola.
It moves in the opposite direction because
squaring h affects the direction.
(0, 325); common error might be (325, 0);
explanation needs to include that we graph the
coordinate plane by x-values and then y-values
(18.028, 0) and (-18.028); common error might
be that they aren’t sure where the intercepts are.
Explanation needs to include that this is where it
intersects with the x-axis or where this intersects
with y=0.
From -infinity to 0 and then 0 to infinity; they
could reverse these; explanation needs to include
that as the x values increase the y values increase
for increasing and as the x values increase the y
values decrease for decreasing. They could also
put it in context that you would be going uphill
 (increasing) in these areas and downhill
Where is the vertex of this next parabola? If you (decreasing) in the others.
did not have the graph, how could you know (3, 4). You could look at the expression in vertex
where the vertex was? form and it would tell you where it was at by
finding h and k.
10 Slides 12 – 13
min Goal: Students will review how to move a
parabola right or left.
Share student overlaid graphs to demonstrate
understanding.
For students who appear to be struggling with
this, have them open the Desmos calculator and
experiment with moving the parabola around.
10 Slides 14 – 19 Example in instructional resources.
mins Goal: Students will practice with finding the
vertex, writing a quadratic in vertex form,
identifying domain and range, and identifying
increasing and decreasing regions.
Ask students to argue how they found the
following:
Vertex (-2, -5). They found the maximum point.
What is the vertex form? How did you write the −(𝑥 + 2)2 − 5
quadratic in vertex form using the vertex of the We know the vertex is (h, k) and the vertex form
parabola? is (𝑥 − ℎ)2 + 𝑘, so we can just put these into
their place.
Skip 16 unless there is lots of confusion. If there −(𝑥 − 6)2 + 7
is, review it in the same way as the previous
problem.
Where are the x-intercepts? (3.34, 0) and (8.646, 0)
How could you find this with just the equation? Solving by square roots:
−(𝑥 − 6)2 + 7 = 0 ⇒ 𝑥 = 6 ± √7
10 Slides 20-23
mins Goal: Students will learn about how to identify a
positive and negative region of the parabola.
Explain how we identify positive and negative
regions after students have worked through the
graph. We identify where the y-values are
positive and where the y-values are negative by
identifying which x-values this is true for.
10 Slides 24-27
mins Goal: Students will practice what they have
learned throughout this lesson identifying where
another parabola is positive and negative. Then
they will create a hill of their own and finally a
roller coaster with a hill and a drop.
This will also serve as an “exit ticket” where I
can evaluate how they were doing at the end of
the lesson for the next day.