The more rectangles, the better the estimate. Using the interactive, pupils explore estimating the area under a curve using left-hand sums. Learners respond to challenge questions on how to get better estimates using the same technique.

Concepts

limits, area under a curve, area of rectangles, area, estimation

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

math

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Have class members draw concave up and down curves and create left-hand and right-hand sums using different colors

Classroom Considerations

• The class should be familiar with summation notation
• Requires users to sign up for a free account before accessing the interactive

Pros

• The additional material provides more examples
• Allows students to change the number of rectangles to visualize what is happening

Cons

• None