Quadratic Functions are boring.

Beth Rueger, Pre-IB Algebra 2 teacher at Riverview High School, had a new take on this--flying marshmallows thrown from catapults.

The catapults gave a creative perspective on learning topics that are not always appealing for students. Each student created a unique catapult design to see who could launch marshmallows the farthest.

The catapult project is a culminating event in the introduction to quadratics unit, where students build a catapult, launch a marshmallow and gather data points. The data points are then used to create quadratic equations in all three forms to model the flight,” Rueger said.

Students involved in the catapult project have taken a liking to the new hands-on way to learn quadratics.

Freshman Tessa Mazon believes that “it helps because it’s related to our current unit and it’s more active”.

The marshmallow catapult project’s creativity is refreshing for the Algebra 2 students, allowing innovation to be seen by otherwise bored kids in a math class.