Moon Math! — the newest addition to NASA Quest

Moon Math is a set of two math units designed for middle school students and high school freshmen (grades 6-9).  The units are centered on the theme of lunar habitat design and are supported by paper-and-pencil activities and a Moon Math data set in the Whats the Difference? software application.

Unit I contains three case studies that can be used together or as stand-alone modules. These case studies focus on area, volume, and proportion and are provided at three levels of difficulty: whole numbers, decimals, and fractions.  Unit II goes a step beyond lunar habitat design with three lessons addressing the calculation of human weight on the Moon, the optimization of cargo hold volume, and the optimization of cargo weight for a lunar mission.  The Moon Math data set in Whats the Difference supports both units with imagery, animation, a human weight calculator, and a lunar habitat activity.

You can download (free of charge) the lessons and What’s the Difference application at:  http://quest.nasa.gov/vft/#moon_math

STAY TUNED! Moon Math training sessions featuring NASA scientists will be hosted in the winter/spring 2008.