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Treasure by the Numbers
Corrine Szarkowicz

In the Honors Precalculus classroom, students gathered around a table, their eyes scanning a blank, unmarked map. Their task? To help a group of pirates navigate to hidden treasure. But this was no ordinary treasure hunt — it was a vector treasure hunt, where each step required precise measurements and mathematical equations.

Students solve the pirate treasure map before creating their own.

Armed with a protractor and ruler, the students set to work, determined to chart the pirates' journey using vectors. The first phase was straightforward. Each team sketched their calculations of the pirate’s path. Carefully plotting each step, they brought the map to life. After mapping the route to the buried treasure, they calculated the total distance the pirates would travel. They identified a shortcut — or resultant vector — that could guide the pirates to their plunder faster. 

The students then became map makers. Using their understanding of vectors and coordinates, they began crafting their own treasure hunts. Each team plotted at least four stops scattered across campus, creating clues that utilized the three methods of giving directions they had learned — polar coordinates, rectangular coordinates, and vectors with magnitude and direction. Every clue they designed would guide future treasure hunters closer to the prize.

After receiving a clue, students calculate the vector that will lead them to their next location.

On the day of the treasure hunt, students gathered in front of Centennial, ready for adventure. The treasure hunters received their first clue from the map makers, eagerly reading the index card containing their initial directions. With blank campus maps in hand, they set off across the Hilltop, solving equations, calculating magnitudes, and adjusting their courses to follow the vectors. At each stop, a new card awaited them, offering further guidance. As the hunt progressed, the excitement grew, each solved equation bringing the treasure hunters one step closer to their goal.

Finally, after solving the last clue and plotting the final vector, the students uncovered their treasure — bags of candy left by the map makers. The treasure hunt transformed mathematical concepts into a hands-on adventure, making the process of exploration, problem-solving, and discovery as thrilling as the treasure itself.
 

 

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