The purpose of this assessment was to have students take the idea of our Polar Equations and see them in a new way. The students were in groups choosing which type of equation they wanted to do and also what method, either 3D print or laser etch. This would increase their knowledge and understanding of Polar Equations and the graphs.
Polar Equations is such a new idea for students, so having them explore and create allows them to visually picture what is occurring in the graphs.
Students begin by graphing different polar equations by hand to understand the why the graphs behave in the manner they do. Once students have mastered the graphs, in their group, they create their own equation, reflect on what it should look like and then use the maker space to either laser etch or 3D print the graph.
After having students do this project, I compared their understanding to previous semesters scores on this topic. I think allowing them to create their own equation solidified the understanding of the behaviors of the graphs. The topic appears to be more clear and they can also relate the topic to how we see these graphs in the real world.