Advanced Functions and Modeling
2008
(Last Updated on 02/12/2008)

Advanced Functions and Modeling provides students an in-depth study of modeling and applying functions. Home, work, recreation, consumer issues, public policy, and scientific investigations are just a few of the areas from which applications should originate. Appropriate technology, from manipulatives to calculators and application software, should be used regularly for instruction and assessment.

·        NC School of Science and Mathematics AFM Website

·        The Shodor Foundation’s AFM Website

·        The Texas course Mathematical Modeling with Applications

·        Minimum Admission Requirement Presentation (PowerPoint) at NCCTM 2001

·        Centroid article on the development of the new Fourth Mathematics Course

·        Purpose and Scope of the course that became Advanced Functions and Modeling

·        Final Report of the Pre-Curriculum Subcommittee of the UNC OP Committee on the Fourth Math Course.

·        The North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Advanced Functions and Modeling (pdf file).

·        Suggested Textbooks

(These are textbooks that members of the UNC Committee on the Fourth Mathematics Course have suggested as good books that might be used for AFM)

·        Advanced Functions and Modeling: What is it and Who is it for? A PowerPoint presentation by Dr. David Royster at NCCTM 2003.

·        Handout  (pdf file) for Advanced Functions and Modeling: What is it and Who is it for?

·        Trainer’s Workshop Presentation

·        Summer 2007 AFM Workshops – Updated 19-Feb-2007

·        2005 NCCTM Talk by David Royster (handout)

·        2006 NCCTM Talk by David Royster (handout)

·        2006 NCCTM Talk by Dr. Katrina Palmer

Online Resources for Teachers of AFM:

We are always in need of more material – more good material.  There are many modules online and many that link mathematics with different occupations and professions.  I have collected a few links in the first item.  The second item lists some files that have been added that you should use “at your own risk”.  They may work excellently in AFM.  If you do try one or more of any of these files, please contact David Royster to let him know what worked and what did not work.  We will try to keep a review list online to let other teachers know how well these modules did or did not work.

Please inform me if any of the links do not work.  If you have a link that you would like to have added please mail it to David Royster

Online Resources for Advanced Functions and Modeling (February, 2007)

1.    The AFM webpage at the Shodor Education Foundation in Durham, NChttp://www.shodor.org/afm/

2.    The Weather Channel Classroom (free registration required for teachers – mostly K-10)

3.    What Determines a Planet’s Climate – NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies – good for working with data.  There are other modules available at http://icp.giss.nasa.gov/education/

4.    High School Operations Research and the book “Does This Line Ever Move?” – Very nice applications to decision making, quantitative decisions, and such.

5.    enviromath.com – the online home of “Quantitative Reasoning and the Environment”

6.    Lessons from the National Council of Economic Education - http://www.econedlink.org/

Summer Workshops for Teachers of AFM:

The teachers who attended one of the summer workshops received a CD with a number of modules and lessons.  The modules have been updated and are listed below.  All are in PDF format.  Contact David Royster to request Microsoft Word formats of these files.  Just click on the Module to start the download.  You will need Adobe Acrobat to read these files.

Introduction with the NC DPI Standard Course of Study (created Apr 2004)

Module 01: Data Collection and Analysis (created Apr 2004)

Module 02: Univariate Data (created Apr 2004)

Module 03: Probability (created Oct 2004)

Module 04: Logarithmic/Exponential Functions (created Apr 2004)

Module 05: Piecewise Functions (created Apr 2004)

Module 06: Power and Polynomial Functions (modified Feb 2005)

Module 07: Trigonometric Functions (created Apr 2004)

Module 08: Recursively-defined Functions (created Apr 2004)

Module 09: Graphing Exponential Functions (created Apr 2004)

Module 10: Parametric Equations (created Apr 2004)

Module 11: Linear Programming (created Apr 2004)

Module 12: Building Your Dream House (created Oct 2004)