examples: authentic tasks: math (algebra - high rise danger) (Authentic Assessment Toolbox)

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High Rise Danger

Task

You are a detective working with your partner to solve the following mystery.

There has been an attempted murder. A shot was fired through the intended victim's second story window. The bullet missed the occupant and was found embedded in the back wall of the room. It was fired from one of the windows of a high rise apartment building across the street. In the figure below, distances are not shown in the proportion, but they are listed in the chart above the figure.

Description of Distance	Label	Distance in Feet
From the bullet hole in the wall to the floor	CE	1
From the bullet hole in the window to the floor	BD	5
From the floor to the street	DG	12
From the back wall to the window wall	DE	10
From the window wall to the high rise	FG	80

In the high rise, each window is 6 feet tall. The second floor window sill is 14 feet above street level, the third floor window sill is 24 feet above the street level, the fourth is 34 feet above street level, and so on.

1. You and your partner are the detectives assigned to the case. From which floor was the shot fired? Show all your work!

2. Suppose the window was open and the angle of the bullet with the floor could not be determined. The intended victim's window sill was 2 feet from the floor and the window is 5 feet tall. Find those floors of the high rise from which the bullet could have been fired. Show all your work!

Rubric

	2	1	0
Formulas	correct formula used correct data	correct formula, incorrect data	wrong formula, incorrect data	x3
Work shown	all work shown	some work shown	no work shown	x2
Answer	both questions correct	1 question correct	no answers correct	x3
Take turns		yes	no

Copyright 2008, Jon Mueller. Professor of Psychology, North Central College, Naperville, IL. Comments, questions or suggestions about this website should be sent to the author, Jon Mueller, at jfmueller@noctrl.edu.