Lab Name What is the best internet deal using the Experiment on Home Internet Services-Transmission Technologies?
Subject Area Mathematics
Grade 6 - 8
Topic Unit Rates
Students will find the best deal from internet providers by finding the unit price.
Experiment Title What is the best internet deal using the Experiment on Home Internet Services-Transmission Technologies?
Hardware
  • COSMOS Toolkit: Computer Node
Software
  • COSMOS Toolkit: Framework
Number of Sessions to teach the topic 3 sessions
Educational standards to be addressed
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.2
    Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0, and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3.B
    Solve unit rate problems including those involving unit pricing and constant speed.
COSMOS concepts to be used for the lab The students are comparing the different types of internet technologies around the country. Through this comparison students will be able to see if the fiber optic technology is always the best option for sending and receiving information as well as financially.
K12 Educational Goals (How the educational goals are achieved through teaching using the experiment, how the topic is connected to the COSMOS concepts used) By focusing on unit price, students are only looking at the most viable financial option. As an extension, students can set up a network to see how the different services work.
Short Description and Walk-through of the experiment
  1. For this activity students will be investigating the prices of internet service providers across the country. Students will use a program to choose a technology and location in the USA. When they hit submit they will receive the following information:
    • Name and location of company
    • Cost per month
    • Upload Speed
    • Download Speed
    • Extension: % of packet loss
  2. Using this information, students will use the cost per month and upload speed to calculate the unit price and choose which is the best internet provider.
  3. Students will create a poster to demonstrate which they believe is the best provider.
Testbed mapping of the experiment Students can set up a laptop to act as a wireless access point. Then connect to the WiFi service provided to the access point and configure the access point to like characteristics similar to those of real U.S households.

Experiment Execution


Experiment Material

NGSS Lesson Plan
6th Grade Worksheet
7th Grade Worksheet
8th Grade Worksheet
Other

© 2018 COSMOS Project. Created by Melissa Sanchez, Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders