Is the Statue of Libertys nose too long?

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Is the Statue of Liberty's nose too long?

This problem from the Figure This! collection of NCTM asks the student to make measurements and consider proportion and scaling to estimate the length of the Statue's nose, given the length of her arm. The activity includes links to a hint, the solution, related math questions, and additional resources.

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Contributed by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) - Publisher, National Science Foundation (NSF) - Initiator, U.S. Department of Education - Initiator, KnowNet Construction, Inc. - Graphical designer

Math TopicMeasurement, Number Sense, Basic Operations, Number Concepts, Mathematical Practices, Mathematical Processes, Other Math Topic

Grade Level4, 5, 6+

Resource TypeActivity

Additional Information
- AudienceLearner
- LanguageEnglish (USA)
- Education Topic
- Interdisciplinary ConnectionEngineering
- Professional DevelopmentNo
- ContributorNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) - Publisher, National Science Foundation (NSF) - Initiator, U.S. Department of Education - Initiator, KnowNet Construction, Inc. - Graphical designer
- Publication Date2012
- RightsCopyright (c) 2004 National Council of Teacher of Mathematics
  http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=8854
- AccessAvailable for purchase, Free access
Standards
- Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
  Select a standards document:
- Standards for Mathematical Practice[K-12]
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.[K-12]
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.[K-12]
- Model with mathematics.[K-12]
- Measurement and Data[K - 5]
- Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.[4]
- 1. Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a twocolumn table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36), ...[4]
- 2. Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.[4]
- Ratios and Proportional Relationships[6 - 7]
- Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.[6]
- 1. Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. For example, "The ratio of wings to beaks in the bird house at the zoo was 2:1, because for every 2 wings there was 1 beak." "For every vote candidate A received, candidate C received nearly three votes."[6]
- 3. Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.[6]
- d. Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities.[6]
User Comments
- Average
  4
  
  Accessible and extendable
  By Uncle Bob on 10/01/2012 - 16:17
- There are plenty of pics and facts available on the web. Perhaps your school is planning to visit NYC. This idea can extend to other large monuments and works of art. This activity would be a nice common sense intro to proportion.

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Is the Statue of Liberty's nose too long?

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics