Boeing stretches boundaries of travel
This article relies on numeracy, specifically the calculations
of speed, time and distance, to compare Boeing's proposed high
speed, long range passenger aircraft and the current Boeing 747
400. Many ideas can be appropriated from this article.
Such an article can provide the opportunity for reinforcement
of basic numeracy in a real context including such things as decimals,
fractions and place value. The opportunity also exists to introduce
a basic equation, speed = distance /time, and how to manipulate
it to gain the results required. We can use limited information
to complete the picture.
The speed of sound (Mach 1) = 331 metres/sec or
331 * 60 =19860 metres/min
19860*60 = 1191600 metres/hr
1191600/1000 = 1191.6 km/hr
Mach .95 = 1191.6 * .95 = 1132 km/hr
Once we know the proposed new jet's speed we can determine
that of the 747. New jet @ 1132 km/hr saves approximately 1 hr
every 4825 km/in travelled when compared with that of the 747.
distance/speed = time new jet, 4825/1132 = 4.26 hrs
Add one hour for 747, speed = distance/time s = 4825/ 5.3
Speed of 747 = 910 km/h (approximately)
This can be extended by asking:
- If both planes fly in the same direction for 10 hrs, what
is the distance between the two planes?
- What factors does the article omit that could influence these
results? ie, rate of acceleration, climbing time required to
reach cruising speed and altitude.
- If we know/approximate/ decide what the acceleration and
deceleration time of each plane is, at what distance would it
become faster to travel on the new jet?
The opportunity exists to express this visually with graphs.
One should also consider the SOSE aspects, as in the first
question for students. For example:
- How might we be travelling and to where in the year 2050?
Who would use such
transport?
- What factors could prohibit the use of large and fast planes?
For example:
- Resources and environmental impact.
- Cost/ availability of specialist materials for construction
and use, aluminium and carbon-fibre etc.
- Running costs
- Servicing and fuel/ oil etc.
- Pollution
Other areas of potential interest.
- The appearance of the aircraft.
- The height to which our atmosphere extends (1600 km) and
why might we want to travel as high as 1300 km or 42 650 ft in
an aeroplane).
- Velocity.
(Written by Leigh Price, BTeach student, University of Tasmania,
2001)
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Newspaper article
Student Questions
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