The following math/science project was adapted from material found in the book Mathematics for Human Survival by Patricia Clark Kenschaft. Her intent is best expressed by her own words “With luck, the mathematical concepts and exercises in this book will help you better understand the current threats to global sustainability and develop the skills to help you address these threats. Maybe it will help readers reconsider financial and lifestyle choices, as well as public policies. Just possibly this book will play some role in helping humanity survive on this globe.”
She includes background information about the environmental importance of rainforests and the business reasons that rainforests are being destroyed. In these contexts, she has quantitative information addressing, as examples, effects of jet engines on carbon dioxide levels and rainforests being destroyed to graze beef cattle.
I (Jim Bradley) adapted these exercises slightly and provided projects within the 3D context to two sections of my Mathematics 1100 – Business Math classes. Over forty-five students participated in the activity. The students were to solve the problems using dimensional analysis and data conversions. The answers to the questions as posed implied:
- The daily departures from O’Hare International Airport effectively cancel the daily oxygen production of a rainforest almost as large as the state of Illinois.
- Producing a quarter pound hamburger can destroy 55 square feet of rainforest
I asked them to work the problems in groups, individually reflect, and then discuss the results again in the same groups. One of the students who participated was very passionate in opposition to the statistics and positions taken in the book. That student may end up developing a minority report English paper on the subject in her writing class.
We captured data on how many of the students were either unaware of the issues and/or surprised by the results. Moreover the students were asked to indicate lifestyle choices they may consider changing based on the results. These results are summarized in the comments.
O’Hare Quarter
Pounders
Percent previously familiar with issue 30 19
Percent surprised by the numerical results 79 81
Sample of Math 1100 Students
Suggestions relative to changes in lifestyle suggested by the analysis
- Fly less
- Use public transportation
- Eat fewer quarter pounders
- Eat less
- Plant a tree
- Plant another tree
- No changes
- No changes because statistics can be manipulated to support theory
- No changes
- Plant more trees
- Alternative transportation
- Recycle
- Be environmentally aware
- Cut down on airplane usage
- Eat vegetarian
- One person can’t do anything
- I never really fly
- I just don’t want to
- We can reduce the amount of meat used every day
- Don’t waste food
- Stop eating quarter pounders
- Does not agree with the current practices of both issues
- Reduce consumption of quarter pounders
- Reduce consumption of beef
- Travel less
- Ride a bike
- Use alternative travel
- Drive less
- Eat less meat
In summary, the problems proved challenging and relatively interesting for these students. They enjoyed the group-work and discussion as an alternative to the lecture. Moreover, a significant percentage of the students gained an increased awareness of or appreciation for the magnitudes and controversies associated with these issues.
cn3d
kickels
Jenn
ddolendi56
bhalberico
suefrankson
Bravo! Even the sceptics add perspective to the quantitative analysis. It would be interesting for the students to analyze the quantitative analysis supporting assertions of global warming in Al Gore’s movie and book, An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming.