Dumbo Squids and Live Feeds
My friends have learned to put up with me observing everything through a mathematical lens. I get excited at the strangest things because I can find a way to relate them back to my classroom. For example, when my friend David and I used a purikura machine at a local mall, the images taken by the camera went through transformations via algorithms to smooth out my skin, and in one picture, fuse my fingers together in to one large fleshy lump. Horrific pictures provided upon request.
National Geographic sent me a link to a video of a stubby squid. The video is part of the data record of the research vessel Nautilus owned by the Ocean Exploration Trust. I like to share short videos and news stories with my students to pique interest in science and mathematics. It was interesting to listen to the scientists react in the *exact* same way that my students do. Both my class and the scientists "oooooh"ed and "ahhhh"ed at the sight of a sperm whale swimming into view.
We did discuss the size of the creatures and how there was no scale to be seen. However, that changed when we watched the dumbo squid. A researcher mentions a "10 cm laser dots" display. So, my students and I watch the video again. I'm happy to say that the students saw the dots before I did.
You can see the laser dots in the upper right of the squid.
With this scale, we made better estimates of lengths on the squid. The class estimated that the vertical distance of this squid is about 80 centimeters. I asked a few students to come to the board to show their work, and they all went straight to the calculations (49*10/6.2 = 79.03)* What the students couldn't seem to do (at least the ones at the board) was set up the proportion or describe the proportion. In their defense, I didn't push too much either. And, under Common Core, this is a middle school standard. That being said, I'll adapt this for the section on dilations in geometry.
When asked for other ways of solving the problem, one student suggested that we expand the picture of the squid until the two laser dots representing 10 cm were actually 10 cm and then measure the squid. I thought that was a marvelous solution. Essentially zooming in (or out) until the key matches real lift.
And lastly, I am amazed that anyone with a connection to the internet can watch via livestream the Nautilus do its work.