SETTING UP A STORY PROBLEM
How to build a Borg Ship?
(Box Problem with calculus)
an interactive exercise using mouseover script:
If a message appears above this page announcing active content has been restricted, click on this message and choose the option "allow blocked content" if you want to use this page.

For this exercise, study the problem in the box below for a few minutes. Decide how you would translate the words into mathematical language, perhaps writing your thoughts on paper. Then let your mouse wander across the problem, noting how another observer would use and translate the same phrases. And beware: your conscience is watching you!

      The Borg
are
watching

conscience

The above tutorial should help to "set up", that is, translate the given problem into an equation containing a definite integral. However, this page does not (at this writing) explain how to solve the equation and obtain a final numerical answer to the problem. Prof McFarland felt that the student's main difficulty is the "setting up" process, and he hopes that this web device helps the set up in a new and interesting way. Your comments are eagerly invited!

   
This page copyrighted;
updated 7 December 2014