Background

Theoretical Introduction

Mathematics is a powerful tool used to understand and interpret the world around us. Various everyday phenomena and situations can be explained through it. One of these applications is the use of measurements to quantify and compare sizes. In our project, we will focus on problems that involve contextualized measurements of sizes.

Sizes are anything that can be measured, such as time, distance, volume, area, among others. When we talk about measurements, we are referring to the process of assigning numbers to these sizes, according to a pre-established scale. For this, we use units of measurement, which are conventions that define what represents "one" of a certain size, be it meters for distance, seconds for time, or liters for volume.

Solving and creating contextualized measurement problems means applying these concepts to practical situations, that is, to contexts that make sense to our daily lives or other areas of knowledge. It is important to emphasize that every empirical measurement is approximate, since perfectly measuring a size is a process subject to errors from various sources, such as the imprecision of the measuring instrument, human error, among others.

Contextualization

We use measurements in practically every aspect of our daily lives, whether it be to cook following a recipe, to determine the distance we will travel on a trip, to know how much time we have to complete an activity, among many other situations. Mastering the concept of measurements and knowing how to apply it correctly is essential for our autonomy and our understanding of the world.

Moreover, the ability to solve contextualized measurement problems is extremely valuable in various professions and areas of knowledge. In engineering and architecture, for example, it is necessary to calculate areas, volumes, and distances. In healthcare, professionals need to understand measurements to dose medications. In physics and other exact sciences, the comprehension and use of measurements are essential.

Practical Activity: "Measurements in Our City"

Project Objective

To apply the concepts of size measurements through an exploration of the city or neighborhood where students live, promoting interaction with the environment in which they live, in addition to the development of important skills such as teamwork, communication, and time management.

Detailed Project Description

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 members and will be challenged to carry out a series of activities related to measurements of sizes in their city or neighborhood. The focus will not only be on solving problems, but also on creating relevant questions and effectively applying measurement concepts. The activities will be both theoretical and practical. At the end, each group must create a detailed report of all activities carried out.

Required Materials

• Paper and pencil for notes
• Ruler or tape measure for measurements
• Digital map applications (e.g.: Google Maps, Waze)
• Camera or cell phone with a camera
• Computer with word processing software for preparing the report

Detailed Step-by-Step to Carry Out the Activity

1. Choice of a location: Each group must choose a location in the city or neighborhood to be the "laboratory" for their investigations. It could be a square, a building, a specific street, etc.

2. Initial investigation: Students will have to research the chosen location. This could include the history of the place, the population that lives there, the economic activities that take place, etc.

3. Creating questions: Based on the initial research, each group will create questions that involve measurements. Examples: "What is the area of the park?", "How many meters tall is that building?", "How many liters of water are necessary to fill the pool in the square?", etc.

4. Measurements and calculations: Next, students will go to the chosen location to make the measurements necessary to answer their questions. They can use rulers, tape measures, map applications, etc.

5. Solving problems: With the data collected, the groups will perform the necessary calculations to answer their questions.

6. Preparing the report: After completing all the activities above, each group will write a report detailing each step of their project, including the description of the chosen location, the questions created, the measurements made, the calculations performed, and the answers found. The report should also include a reflection on the importance of measurements in the chosen context.

Important: The project must be completed within a month and take five to ten hours per participating student.

Project Deliverables

The group must submit a report on the project, following this format:

1. Introduction: It should contain a contextualization of the theme, its relevance and application in the real world, the objective of the project, and the importance of measurements in the context of the project.

2. Development: It should explain the theory behind the theme, explain the activity in detail, indicate the methodology used, and, finally, present and discuss the results obtained.

3. Conclusion: It should summarize the main points, explaining the lessons learned and the conclusions drawn from the project.

4. Bibliography: It should indicate the sources used to carry out the project, such as books, web pages, videos, etc.