If you have a child in algebra, going to a football game may be part of the curriculum he or she needs to grasp some key concepts.
Students find it hard to understand the difference between displacement and magnitude for a function. The first is the distance you move in one direction, the second is the total distance you have moved in all directions.
This is clearer when the running back runs ten yards forward, but is pushed back five yards by the defense.
His magnitude is 10, but his displacement is 5. In football, the difference between these two numbers can be heartbreak or victory.
Find more fun football math problems at this link.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
