Academics
Theoretical Becomes Tangible
Math and Mud? Calculus and Clay?
AP Calculus students took over the Clayworks lab this week to turn mathematical functions into clay models and bridge the gap between the theoretical and the tangible.
Students began in the classroom by choosing a function, then used integration to calculate the volume of revolution – the three-dimensional space that would be taken up if the calculus graph were turned into a plane and rotated on an axis. Moving to the Clayworks lab, the students then tried to create a vessel with a volume that matches the function they chose.
“This way, they understand it; they don’t just learn it,” said Clayworks instructor Ms. Carol Harvey, who collaborated with math teacher Mr. Max Sterelyukhin on the project.
The students worked on sculpting their vessels on Monday and Wednesday this week. According to Ms. Harvey, most hadn’t worked with clay before, and they appeared to be enjoying the experience.
“On Monday, they wanted to work through the break,” Mr. Sterelyukhin noted. “That doesn’t happen often in calculus class.”
On Friday, the students checked to see if the volume of the containers matched their calculations. Because Ms. Harvey didn’t have time to fire the clay pieces in the kiln, they couldn’t use water to check the volume, and instead used sand, which behaves like a liquid and assumes the shape of the container.
“We did this last year as well and I was happy with the results,” Mr. Sterelyukhin said. Even when the calculations are off, it’s a learning opportunity – to figure out what went wrong. I’m happy to see when the volumes don’t match up.”
Grade 12 student Zhili W. said he last worked with clay in Grade 7, and that the medium, not the calculations, was the biggest challenge for him. He agreed that working in 3D “adds to the understanding” of what the students have been working on in the classroom.
“It’s a very valuable experience,” he said. “Everyone here is taking away something different. That’s the benefit. It’s a holistic thing to do. It adds a lot to this course.”
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