March+Madness+Activity

MARCH MADNESS PROJECT

Malcolm is sitting in Math class having a daydream. In his dream, he is floating in the air, about to do a slam-dunk. In reality, he is tossing pieces of paper into the trashcan. He makes some shots, but he misses others.

Your project will be to record and compare baskets attempted and baskets made by the players on your basketball team. You will shoot pieces of paper into the trashcan and keep track of the number that each player makes.

Activities

Activity 1: Recording You will need five starters and two substitutes for your basketball team. Choose students from class to create your team. Each person will need to record his / her own data in the table below.

Player’s Name Player’s Position # of Shots Taken # of Shots Made Player 1 10 Player 2 9 Player 3 8 Player 4 7 Player 5 6 Substitute 1 5 Substitute 2 4

Activity 2: Comparing Add another column to your data table and write each players # of shots made as a fraction. Then compare and order the fractions from greatest to least. This is the rank of your players based on their foul shots.

Activity 3: Converting You now have another way to compare the records of your players. Convert the fractions in your table to decimals. Use the decimals to rank your players. Does the order agree with the order you got when you compared fractions?

Activity 4: Finishing the Project Make a poster to present your table and rankings to your class. Be sure to decorate your poster by adding a team name and logo. You can even make homemade sports cards for your players or sketch a team uniform. Include the team average as well. Be sure your work is neat and clear. Show your data and calculations. Calculator usage is not permitted! Write any explanations that you think are necessary.