The purpose of this task is to give students practice constructing functions that represent a quantity of interest in a context, and then interpreting features of the function in the light of that context. It can be used as either an assessment or a teaching task.

The primary purpose of this task is to lead students to a numerical and graphical understanding of the behavior of a rational function near a vertical asymptote, in terms of the expression defining the function. The canoe context focuses attention on the variables as numbers, rather than as abstract symbols.

The purpose of this task is to use finite geometric series to investigate an amazing mathematical object that might inspire students' curiosity. The Cantor Set is an example of a fractal.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach second graders about capacity comparison problems with illustrations - word problems.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about finding the amount of water with illustrations and calculations (metric units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach third graders an overview of capacity IIi (metric units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach second graders about capacity problems with illustrations - word problems.

The task requires the student to use logarithms to solve an exponential equation in the realistic context of carbon dating, important in archaeology and geology, among other places. Students should be guided to recognize the use of the natural logarithm when the exponential function has the given base of e, as in this problem. Note that the purpose of this task is algebraic in nature -- closely related tasks exist which approach similar problems from numerical or graphical stances.

In the task "Carbon 14 Dating'' the amount of Carbon 14 in a preserved plant is studied as time passes after the plant has died. In practice, however, scientists wish to determine when the plant died and, as this task shows, this is not possible with a simple measurement of the amount of Carbon 14 remaining in the preserved plant. The equation for the amount of Carbon 14 remaining in the preserved plant is in many ways simpler here, using 12 as a base.

This problem introduces the method used by scientists to date certain organic material. It is based not on the amount of the Carbon 14 isotope remaining in the sample but rather on the ratio of Carbon 14 to Carbon 12. This ratio decreases, hypothetically, at a constant exponential rate as soon as the organic material has ceased to absorb Carbon 14, that is, as soon as it dies. This problem is intended for instructional purposes only. It provides an interesting and important example of mathematical modeling with an exponential function.

This exploratory task requires the student to use a property of exponential functions in order to estimate how much Carbon 14 remains in a preserved plant after different amounts of time.

This task lets students explore the concept of independence of events. There are two alternative ways of solving the problem.

Learn about a tax accounting career from a senior manager of a firm that prepares tax returns for clients, audits their business plans and finances, and helps them stay compliant with current tax laws.

Explore the field of animation with an artist who creates graphics using computer software. Animators work in a variety of media, including movies, television, commercials, and video games.

An associate principal of an architectural firm that designs stadiums and athletic facilities talks about his love of drawing from a young age and how he thinks "outside the box" to make a client's vision a reality.

Art auctioneers price and sell a wide variety of items. They usually work at an auction house and lead the bidding for live auctions.

The automobile manufacturing industry has three exciting fields in which a student can specialize: performing the actual assembly of a vehicle, putting together its exterior shell and interior frame, and painting and sealing the body.

Meet an accounting business owner and find out how she uses her degree, skills and technology to solve problems and serve needs for both businesses and individual clients.

Explore commercial truck driving from a leader of a commercial truck driving school. Hear from an experienced truck driver and discover whether you might be a good fit for this high-paying and rewarding career.

Learn from a construction manager at a major construction firm about how drawings are made and how quality control is performed. Hear about safety, change orders and the importance of following the budget.