Blog

Math on the Slopes

Alzar School | 12.02.16

The first weekends of our Spring Semester students and staff got the opportunity to explore the amazing skiing opportunities we are so lucky to enjoy living in Long Valley. On a recent trip to Brundage Mountain, located about an hour North of campus, I asked my precalculus students to take our study of right triangle trigonometry to the slopes. Students measured the elevation change and angle (or steepness) of their favorite ski run of the of the day using altimeter and inclinometer apps on their smartphones. They then calculated the total distance they skied during their descent (the hypotenuse of a right triangle).

Tess, Max, Jane, Carina, and Catri measuring the elevation and steepness at the top of the Bluebird Chair. Is it work? Is it play? Most days at the Alzar School leave me unsure of the difference.
Tess, Max, Jane, Carina, and Catri measuring the elevation and steepness at the top of the Bluebird Chair. Is it work? Is it play? Most days at the Alzar School leave me unsure of the difference.
Catri measuring the inclination of the slope.
Catri measuring the inclination of the slope.

When we returned to campus students wrote up summaries of their calculations on the mountain. Here are some outstanding examples from Tess, Jack, Josephine, and Gracie:

Trig Graph Photo4Trig Graph Photo3Trig Graph Photo2Trig Graph Photo

As I write this, we are on a plane to Chile where we will paddle the Rio Baker and hike in Patagonia National Park for our first Chilean Expeditions. “When we need a classroom, the world awaits!”

– Written by Jonathan Absher