Mathematics in Nature

In Week 6, Year 9 visited The Retreat, Kangaroo Valley to engage in a variety of unique learning experiences designed by Mathematics Teacher Adrienne Toohey.

The visit gave Year 9 the chance to enjoy our new campus and to apply mathematical concepts and scientific principles in a practical manner.

One of the highlights of the excursion was an activity that required the students to use a digital compass, trundle wheel and their knowledge of trigonometry to estimate the width of a river by measuring bearings and distances from different vantage points. This exercise challenged the students to apply their understanding of angles, distances and trigonometric functions to solve a real-life problem.

Later, they compared their heart rates during rest and exercise, collecting data that they later graphed using parallel box and whisker plots. This exercise allowed the students to explore statistical concepts and understand the relationship between physical exertion and heart rate, all in the beautiful surroundings of nature. 

Year 9 student Oscar Falvey reported, “Kangaroo Valley was an immersive experience where we could see real-life examples of where we can use what we are learning in Maths. Not only did we work on our take-home assessments but we were able to have some fun measuring trees using trigonometry.”

His classmate Mollie Webb added, “Going to Kangaroo Valley was an engaging excursion that allowed me to recognise how trigonometry can be used in real life settings. I loved exploring the town after doing some work on our assessment and partaking in fun Maths activities like measuring our heart rate.”

We look forward to more opportunities for experiential learning at The Retreat, Kangaroo Valley, which will continue to ignite the curiosity and passion for knowledge in our students.

Directory