AlgebraBots Delivering the

Goods v10
(Applying Proportions to a Logistics Challenge)

Robotics Modeling of Emergency Transportation

Name ________________________
Name ________________________
Date ________________
Period ________
Video of Robots Delivering the
Goods
Search: Day in the Life of a Kiva
Page 1
Robot

Delivering the Goods

An earthquake in the Bay Area has caused
significant damage to San Francisco. Pacifica is
sending a self driving truck to San Francisco with
food and medical supplies. You are part of a
team of engineers that is using Mindstorms
robots to find a program that will get the self
driving truck to San Francisco.
The robot and the truck use the same program but
with different parameters. Finding the program
and correct settings for the robot model will give
the program and settings for the truck.
The distance from the Pacifica starting point to the
destination in S.F. is 18 miles in a straight line.
The truck must make one stop 9 miles or 12 miles
from Pacifica to refuel. The truck is fueled
immediately so the wait time is not important; the
truck just needs to stop.
In this model one mile for the truck is equal to 20
centimeters for the robot and the robot runs at
50% power.
Complete the calculations, create a
program, and test how successful the robot
is in reaching the goal.
You only get
one chance !
Page 2

Route for Pacifica to San Francisco ~18 m

12
miles
9 miles

Refuel Stations

Page 3

Driving Question
How can you find the correct program and settings for the
robot model and get the self driving truck to San Francisco?

Need to Know (N2K)

Vocabulary:
program steps that tell a robot or computer to do
something
scale model two things that are exactly the same but
different in size
parameters variables in a scale model
settings the numbers used in the scale model
self driving truck a truck controlled by a computer
proportion two equal fractions that can be used to
solve a problem
N2K Information:
1. Is the robot program the same as the truck program?
Why is that important?

2. Are the robot settings the same as the truck

settings? How can the robot settings help the truck
get to S.F. ?

3. Why is a scale model used to find the information

needed to program thePage
truck?
4

Names _________________________
_______________________________

Making a Program
Here is an example of a program for getting in a car

Walk to the
car

Unlock the
door

Open the
door

Sit on the
seat

Show the program steps you will use with your robot. Include the
refueling.

Program your robot and answer these

questions.
Distance to S.F. ________ miles.
Distance Scale

_________ cm./ mile

Distance to refueling station __________ miles

Distance robot travels to destination __________ cm.
Page 5

Calculations and Testing

Unit Rate of robot __________ cm./ second
Calculated time to reach destination without stopping to refuel
___________ seconds
Show work !

Measured time it takes to reach the destination without stopping to

refuel
(tested on the floor) ___________ seconds

Time it takes to reach the destination

including the stop to refuel.
Time and distance for the program blocks
Move #1

Wait

Move #2

Distance
cm.
Time sec.

Time and distance measured

Move #1

Wait

Move #2

Distance
cm.
Time sec.

Page 6

Project Debrief
1. What math did you learn? What problem did you
solve with this math.

2. What did you learn about solving problems like this

one that has several parts? How did you start, what
were the steps? How did you know if you had the
right answer?

3. What did you learn about working with a partner?

How did you split up the work? What did you learn
from other people in the class that helped you?

Page 7

Standards and Referenced Materials

This project is designed to explore Proportions
and Ratios . It aligns with these Common Core
Mathematics Standards for California:
Standards for Mathematical Practice M.P.
1,3,4,5,6
Content Standards (7th Grade) 7.RP 1, 2, 3 and
7.EE 3
The lesson is based on the Buck Institute of
Education (B.I.E) Project Based Learning model.
No robots were injured in the making of this lesson.

Page 8

Using a Tape Measure and

Comparing Units of
Measurement
1. Measure the length and width of a table or desk
and record the measurement in meters,
centimeters, and millimeters.
2. Measure the height of your partner and record the
measurement in meters, centimeters, and
millimeters.

For millimeters measure to the nearest whole

number. For centimeters measure to the
nearest 0.1 cm.
For meters measure to the nearest 0.01 meter.

Units

Table
Length

Table
Width

Millimeter
s
Centimete
rs
Meters

Page 9

Height of
Student