This week in math class, we challenged to solve one of four different math problems that dealt with equations and inequalities. The goal was to go in depth in finding the solution to the problem and then reflect on how we solved it. I chose to complete a Desmos Activity called Racing Cars! that was about an orange and blue car racing. Both cars were traveling at different speeds and I needed to determine when they would intersect. At first, I was only given a short clip of the cars moving and had to estimate based on that. My estimate was around 35, but as I later found out, this prediction was too low.

On the next slide, I received measurements for the starting point and distances that the cars traveled. Using that information, I was able to calculate the rate or change (or slope) of each car. The equation for the orange car was y = 10/4x and the equation for the blue car is y = 6/4x + 20. Then, I used the demos graphing calculator to determine where these two lines would intersect. I found that after 20, the cars would intersect at the 50 mark.

 

After I came up with my new and more accurate prediction, I was able to watch the cars intersect and compare them to my prediction. Here is a short clip of my calculation alongside the Racing Cars Solution. At the end of the activity, I determined that the orange and blue cars would intersect at 50 units after 20 seconds. As usual, I enjoyed completing this activity on Desmos Student and hope to complete another soon!