Box Activity

Objective: Students will investigate three problems involving higher degree equations and relate them to "real" situations.

Problem 1 You are to design the largest possible box from a 9 x 12 sheet of construction paper.

a) Determine the lengths of the sides of the box. Use "x" to represent the lengths of the sides of the square you will need to cut from each corner in order to fold the sheet of paper into a box.

b) Write the equation you will use to find the volume of the box.

c) Use the graphing calculator to find the maximum value that you can use to represent the "x" in your box.

d) Draw on your paper the piece of construction paper and the box; be sure to label the dimensions, folds, and cuts on both the paper and the box.

Problem 2 You are to construct the largest box and its lid from a 9 x 12 sheet of construction paper. Follow the steps from problem 1.


Problem 3 You are to make the largest "suitcase-type" box from a 9 x 12 sheet of construction paper. Follow the steps from problem 1.