Problem Statement
For this problem we were given two videos of a moving circle and square One video had the circle and square moving along a dotted line whereas the second video showed the circle and square moving along a line which was labeled with different numbers/measurements . Our goal was to find the point in which both the circle and squares area are the same. .
Process
For this problem I can honestly say that I was very confused in the beginning and did not know where to start. However after looking at the problem I began to realize different ways I can solve the area of the two shapes. After solving for the areas, I realized that they did not equal the same thing.. I worked with Evelyn and Roxanna at first. We began by watching the video over and over again and taking notes on what we were noticing.. I began to note done the different areas of the circles with various numbers in which it ended. The first day of the problem all my group did was try to figure out a pattern but we were not successful. The next day, we got into different groups and I had the chance to work with Anna, Dom, and Janelle. We basically shared what we had done the day before and tried to figure out what we needed to do next. We asked Kirby for help since we were struggling quiet a bit, and really tried to come up with a way to figure out the problem, however it was an unsuccessful day, and only figure out the basic parts to the problem. The next day was a share out day, and by listening to others I got a better understanding of the problem, becuase G shared out the way he solved the problem. In the end I took notes on everybody's share out, and I was happy that by the end of this 3 act problem, I was able to understand a very in my opinion complex question. This problem allowed me to really think and push myself. Even though I did not figure out the problem by myself, I was happy that my classmates were there to teach me. Overall one of my favorites 3 act problems and one of the problems that I had difficulty with, but it was all okay at the end.
Other People's Process
The people that I worked with had technically the same process as me. We both worked together to solve the problem and over all we did the best that we could to solve the problem even though we did not get the final answer.
Solution
In the end my classmate G was the one that came up with a formula that worked in order to solve the answer. As a class we had to verify if it did in fact work, and in the end G's formula was correct. Although he had a formula there was another student that got the same answer by not doing what G did. This is why I love these problem because they allow us to get the same answer using various techniques.
Self Assessment
Overall I would give her myself an A because even though the problem was hard I felt like I guided my group when it came to group work. They did not really know where to begin. However I challenged myself with this problem and I am happy with the work I did. Out of the all the habits of a mathematician I believe I did very well on my perseverance skills because although the problem was hard, that did not stop me from wanting to solve the problem and working with other in order to find the answer.
Edits
I added the which habit of a mathematician I worked on, as well as added a lot of pictures since I did have any in the begging. I also fixed my solution paragraph since all I had was a picture there. In my opinion all these edits that Anna recommended while editing my write up made it ten times better.