Many students ask, “When am I ever going to use this math?” and many more are thinking the question.  To make our math lessons more relevant and interesting, math teachers need to give lessons real-world contexts.  Using pictures, images, and videos from the internet is a easy way to give math lessons a context outside of the math classroom.

Example: When teaching equations of circles on a coordinate plane, pictures can be used to give a real-world context.

A-CED.A.2. Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels and scale.

In many real-world examples, a problem is mathematized by laying a coordinate axis over the real-world figure or picture.  In the 3 examples below, if a coordinate axis over -lays the figures, circle equations can be used to gain information or solve real-world problems:

1. A sports reference, marking the javelin sector on a football field;

 

2. An art reference, making an art design using circles; and

 

 

3. Science or nature reference, using circles to study tree rings.