NYLearns.org - Air Compressor Ratings by St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES

Learning Experience/Unit

Air Compressor Ratings by St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES

Course, Subject

Integrated Algebra, Math, Science & Technology

Grade Levels

Commencement, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Assessment

Assessment will take place continuously throughout the lesson as students complete worksheets, take notes, and collaborate to perform research on the internet. The research piece and subsequent class presentation will be assessed/summarized using the attached Student Scoring Sheet. This form may be completed by students for self-assessment and/or by the teacher to establish a grade.

Student Scoring Sheet.doc

Learning Context/ Introduction

Learning Standards:

A.CN.6 Recognize and apply mathematics to situations in the outside world.
A.R.4 Select appropriate representations to solve problem situations.
A.R.6 Use mathematics to show and understand physical phenomena.

The purpose of this learning experience is to introduce students in the Auto Collision Repair I Program at BOCES to various means of rating air compressors. Many of these students will eventually own their own businesses or work for someone who may rely on them to give input into purchasing decisions. It will be useful to them to understand how to compare the ratings and price of one compressor to those of another. Although most of the students are eleventh graders and have progressed through standard math classes including Math A, many are unaware of how to apply the mathematics they know to a given situation. This lesson strives to make the connection between concepts they are aware of and real life application of those concepts.

Duration

Planning = 1/2 hour to become familiar with content and gather materials
Implementation: = 2 1/2 - 3 hours depending on ability and attention span of students
Assessment = Ongoing throughout lesson. Add 5 minutes/student for scoring sheet

Essential Question

If faced with the task of purchasing an air compressor, how can the criteria of horsepower, displacement cfm, free air cfm, and pressure be used to compare one product to another?

Instructional/Environment Modifications

Class work performed throughout this lesson can be modified as necessary to meet the needs of each student. More examples of applications students find difficult can be inserted where needed. Students with weaker math or computer skills can be paired with students for which the concepts are more understandable.

Procedure

To set the stage for the lesson, students are asked to list pieces of equipment they would need to purchase in order to set up an auto collision repair shop. If an air compressor is not mentioned, other tools requiring the use of a compressor will be listed, so the teacher can easily guide students toward the topic of selecting one. A brochure advertising a particular brand of compressor is distributed and students are asked to examine the specifications including horsepower, CFM displacement, free air delivery, pressure, and price. To better understand all this information, some basic mathematical concepts are needed. The formulas for the area of a circle and the volume of a cylinder are reviewed and practice problems completed using the attached worksheet. Students are given the attached note sheet on which they are to record important information from the PowerPoint presentation designed to outline the various methods of rating air compressors. The PowerPoint presentation is stopped each time a formula is presented so that practice using the formula can be accomplished using the attached worksheets. Students are then paired up to search the internet for air compressor information. They are asked to choose one they consider to be best considering quality and price. Class presentations of their research results serve as a closing activity for the lesson.

Worksheets.doc

Notes Sheet.doc

AIR COMPRESSORS.ppt

Reflections and Feedback

Students find this lesson to be very engaging. They see this information as potentially useful to them in the career track they have chosen. The PowerPoint presentation and internet research lend a technical aspect to the lesson which is more interesting to them than standard lesson presentations.