Page 1 of 2
The Triathlon
Extended Answer Class Assessment
Phase One
Understanding the Problem
Phase Two
Creating a Plan
Phase Three
Carrying out the Plan
Phase Four
Reflection
Restate the problem: Break the problem down into
simpler problems
1. Find the swimming yards
(converting m to yd)
I’m going to think
about graphing the
relationship to
determine the line.
5,468
How many yards did I swim?
Does this make sense?
I use to run the 440 (yd) in high school
and when it changed over to 400 m it
was very close to being the same length.
How many more yards would I
earn if swam one more lap?
0,0 5,000
I know that I plan to swim only 8 laps and
that a lap is 50 meters. I also know that
the following relationships exist between
meters and yards:
0 m = 0 yd and 5,000 m = 5,468 yd
This isn’t very helpful because it is not a
literal representation. But it will help me
to determine the equation for the line
and I can use it to convert 400 meters
to yards. What is the equation?
State the new problem:
What variables should we use
and what do they represent?
b is __________
r is __________
2. Write the new problem
using symbolic notation:
a. Use variables as holders
b. Find the bike constant
c. Find the run constant
d. Solve a simpler problem
Rough Draft
b + r > _____
Bike Constant
b = MC
What is the equation for
getting ‘exactly’ my goal?
Which is the independent
variable in this situation? Why?
Run Constant
r = LK
Inequality
___ + ___ > ___
How do I solve the equation for
the dependent variable?
What is the dependent- intercept
in this equation?
3. Graph the equation Label the Intercepts What do the intercepts
represent in this context?
Where does the model
breakdown? Why?
Is there another way to graph
this equation without finding
the slope-intercept form?
Page 2 of 2
The Triathlon
Extended Answer Class Assessment
Phase One
Understanding the Problem
Phase Two
Creating a Plan
Phase Three
Carrying out the Plan
Phase Four
Reflection
What does the origin (0,0)
represent in this context?
4. Graph the inequality Shade the Graph What is the answer to my
original question?
Why is it easier to answer this
with a graph than with
numbers?
Because there are an infinite
number of solution pairs.