The California Frog-Jumping Contest
Fifth Graders,
Okay, first of all, this is a real thing. I am not making this up, people really do this. Isn't that awesome?
In this unit we will learn about algebra. You will be working in partners again to investigate problems, work collaboratively and present your findings to your classmates.
-Mr Garlick.
Okay, first of all, this is a real thing. I am not making this up, people really do this. Isn't that awesome?
In this unit we will learn about algebra. You will be working in partners again to investigate problems, work collaboratively and present your findings to your classmates.
-Mr Garlick.
In California, in Calaveras Country, a new sport was introduced more than 100 years ago: the frog jump. As many as 2,000 frogs compete each May at the Frogtown Fairgrounds in Calaveras County, Angel Camp, California. The world's frog jump record was set by Rosie the Ribbeter in 1986. She jumped 26 feet 5 3/4 inches!
"The contest was inspired by Mark Twain's 1865 fictional short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Over the years, the contest has become the most popular attraction at the Angel Camp annual fair, which also includes music, a craft show, and local talent. Today, some of the sidewalks of the city are lined with painted green frogs and bronze plaques, modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." [Source: Faiza Elmasry. VOA News. January 9, 2003.]
Frogs spend more of their day sitting still. They catch flies or other insects with their tongues while they sit. Only occassionally do they jump, and that is usually to get to the water. So when they are placed on a jumping track, they usually sit and wait. When you command a frog, "JUMP!" usually it sits still and waits. To get frogs to jump, you usually need to encourage them with a slight touch on the back or maybe a few gentle touches before they get annoyed and decide to jump. When they do jump, they don't jump just once. Usually they take two, three, or more jumps and walk a little bit (a few steps in one direction or another).
So the behavior of frogs when they jump presents a special problem in competitions where you want to find out which frog has the biggest jump. This is because you have to figure out the length of a frog's jump when you know the length of several jumps and several steps combined. Referees of frog jumping contests often use this rule:
The Referee's Frog-Jumping Rule: Whenever a frog jumps in an event, if the frog takes more than one jump, all jumps are assumed to be equal in length and all steps are assumed to be equal in length.
"The contest was inspired by Mark Twain's 1865 fictional short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Over the years, the contest has become the most popular attraction at the Angel Camp annual fair, which also includes music, a craft show, and local talent. Today, some of the sidewalks of the city are lined with painted green frogs and bronze plaques, modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." [Source: Faiza Elmasry. VOA News. January 9, 2003.]
Frogs spend more of their day sitting still. They catch flies or other insects with their tongues while they sit. Only occassionally do they jump, and that is usually to get to the water. So when they are placed on a jumping track, they usually sit and wait. When you command a frog, "JUMP!" usually it sits still and waits. To get frogs to jump, you usually need to encourage them with a slight touch on the back or maybe a few gentle touches before they get annoyed and decide to jump. When they do jump, they don't jump just once. Usually they take two, three, or more jumps and walk a little bit (a few steps in one direction or another).
So the behavior of frogs when they jump presents a special problem in competitions where you want to find out which frog has the biggest jump. This is because you have to figure out the length of a frog's jump when you know the length of several jumps and several steps combined. Referees of frog jumping contests often use this rule:
The Referee's Frog-Jumping Rule: Whenever a frog jumps in an event, if the frog takes more than one jump, all jumps are assumed to be equal in length and all steps are assumed to be equal in length.
Day 1MT is a bullfrog. He is world-famous for his long jump. When he takes 4 jumps and 8 steps, it is the same as taking 52 steps. Use the referee's frog-jumping rule to figure out the following...
1. How many steps are equal to 2 jumps and 4 steps made by MT? 2. How many steps are equal to each jump made by MT? |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |