Precalculus Naima van Tyn 1

“The Orchard Hideout” Unit Portfolio

Cover Letter:
The main problem that we focused this unit around was Maddie and Clyde’s 50 tree
radius orchard. We had to find how long it would take for their orchard hideout in the center of
the orchard to become a true hideout, that is, how long it would take to lose the last line of sight
from the center of the orchard. During the process of finding the solution to this question, we
implemented many different mathematical ideas, including: coordinate geometry, distance and
midpoint formulas, rules of circles (area, circumference, etc.), the Square-Cube Law, and
Pythagorean Theorem. We also had to learn how to provide proof for our findings, both
descriptively and mathematically.
We started the unit by learning about coordinate geometry because the orchard can be
treated like a circular graph. When preparing to find the solution to our problem, it was important
to understand the concept of perpendicular bisectors, a line that intersects another line at a right
angle, which was introduced in ​The ​Sprinkler Dilema​. Later in the unit, we applied similar
thinking to problems in order to discover the importance of angle bisectors, a ray that begins at
the vertex of an angle and directly cuts the angle in half. We practiced implementing this in our
Fire! Fire! problem of the week. This also involved the use of the Pythagorean Theorem (
a2 + b2 = c2 ) which was used throughout the unit and in the final problem. Next, in the
assignment ​The Orchard Hideout: The Distance Formula, we found the distance formula

√(x
(x1 +x2 ) (y 1 +y 2 )
equation: D = 1 − x2 ) 2 + (y 1 − y 2 ) 2 , and the midpoint formula equation: M = 2
, 2
. We practiced using these formulas in a variety of ways, which lead us to not only looking at
distance between points, but also between a point and a line. This was especially important
because we used it to see how far the last line of sight would be from each tree in the final
problem, which we practiced in one of our class warm ups that is linked below. We combined
distance from a point to a line with the concept of tangent lines (a line that intersects a circle at a
single point along the circumference) to prove that the shortest distance from a point to a line is
the perpendicular bisector. This brought our learning full circle and gave us a good base of
knowledge. Along with building a good understanding of coordinate geometry, we also had to
learn about circles (area, circumference, etc) in order to be able to predict the behavior of the
trees in the orchard.
We began with learning about the relationship between radius, diameter, and
circumference. Then we moved on to learning about area ( A = πr 2 ), surface area, and volume (
V = 43 πr 3 ) of a sphere; this included learning about the Square Cube law, which explains the
relationship between area/surface area and volume as they increase. We attempted to prove our
understanding of this concept by writing a proof for the ​The Square-Cube Law and Unpacking
the Article assignment. We used this knowledge in the final problem when considering the
starting and ending sizes of the trees in the orchard. It was important to know the starting
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circumferences of the trees (assuming they are all the same size and grow at the same rate) and
how big the trees would have to be to block the last line of sight out of the orchard.
Although all of these mathematical formulas and equations were vital to us when solving
the unit problem, another essential thing that we implemented throughout the whole unit was the
use of proof. A good example of this is shown in my work in the ​Proving the Distance
assignment linked below. Although it may seem simple at first, we learned that it is complicated
and requires great attention to detail and good, concise writing. In order to show proof, you have
to go through each part of your process throughout the problem and show what concepts you
implemented. Along with that, you must show mathematically why it works without a doubt.
This is a difficult thing to do sometimes, but it is important to do. If you try to make a claim
without showing why it is true, it is not seen as being as reliable. By collecting each of these
skills, solving the final unit problem was simply knowing how and when to implement each
concept.

Process and Solution:

As I said above, the main problem was focused around Maddie and Clyde’s circular 50
tree radius orchard. The unit question was: How long will it take to lose the last line of sight
from the center of the orchard after the trees are planted? As I outlined, I incorporated many
different mathematical concepts into my final solution of the problem. The mathematical process
that I am going to discuss is all demonstrated on the diagram below which is also linked ​here​:
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To begin the problem, I was given some information about the orchard; the radius of the
orchard = 50 units, 1 unit = 10 feet, the trees are planted 1 unit apart, the rate at which the trees
grow = 1.5 in2 per year and the starting area of the trees is 0.5 in2 . The first step was to translate
everything into the same unit measurement. I chose to turn everything into inches (1 foot = 12 in,
etc.) because I was mostly going to be dealing with the area and radius of the trees which was
already in inches. In previous practice problems, we found out that we only needed to pay
attention to two trees in the final problem. These two trees are the ones that would be the first to
obstruct the last line of sight, or the ones closest to the line. Earlier in the unit, I graphed out a
smaller version of the orchard, and found that the last line of sight would be between the trees
falling directly on the radius and the row of trees above that. The diagram below and linked ​here
illustrates this:

Based on my prior knowledge of tangent lines and shortest distance from a point to a line,
I knew that I needed to find the distance from the point that represented one of the obstructing
trees to the last line of sight which is tangent to the tree. To do this, I needed to find the ending
radius of the trees.
To find what the radius would have to be for the trees to block the last line of sight, I had
to set up two similar right triangles. The first was formed by the last line of sight (starting at the
center of the orchard) as the hypotenuse, a 50 unit leg that was the radius of the orchard, and
another leg of one unit because the last line of sight only goes between one row of trees. The
second triangle was a similar triangle which also started at the middle of the orchard. The
hypotenuse was 1 unit because it was the distance from the middle of the orchard to the first
obscuring tree, and the shortest side represented as x which is equal to the ending radius of the
tree or the distance from the tree to the last line of sight. The diagram below, the assignment
Hiding in the Orchard, illustrates the process that was just described, which is also linked ​here​:
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In order to set up a proportion to find side x of the smaller triangle, I used the Pythagorean
Theorem to find the hypotenuse of the bigger triangle. This turned out to be √2501 . Then I set
1
up the proportion √2501 = 1x , which was the hypotenuse of the smaller triangle over the
hypotenuse of the bigger triangle = the shortest side of the smaller triangle (radius of the tree)
over the shortest side of the bigger triangle. This came out to be final radius of the tree/
1
x = √2501 . Once I had this, I plugged it into the area formula ( A = πr 2 ) so that I could compare
the final area of the trees to the starting area of the trees. I found that the ending area of the trees
was 18.1 in2 .
At this point, I knew that the trees started with a radius of 0.5 in2 and ended with a radius
of 18.1 in2 and they grew by a rate of 1.5 in2 per year. My final goal was to find how many years
it would take for the trees to block the last line of sight, or in other words, how long it would take
for the trees to grow from an area of 0.5 in2 to an area of 18.1 in2 . So, I found the difference
between the two areas (18.1 - 0.5) which turned out to be 17.6. To find how long it would take
for the trees to grow this amount, I multiplied 17.6 by 1.5 (the rate the trees grow per year). This
came out to be 11.73. This was my final answer to the unit problem: ​it will take about 11.73
years for the trees to block the last line of sight in Maddie and Clyde’s 50 tree radius orchard.

Selected Work:
This is my selected pieces of work from throughout the unit that show my understanding
of the concepts I have learned and referenced in this portfolio:
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1. POW #1 The Sprinkler Dilema​ - ​perpendicular bisectors

2. The Orchard Hideout: The Distance Formula​ - ​distance formula
3. The Orchard Hideout: The Midpoint Formula​ -​ midpoint formula
4. POW #2 Fire! Fire! ​Work​ , ​Write up​ - ​angle bisectors
5. Class warm up​ - ​distance from a point to a line
6. The Square-Cube Law and Unpacking the Article​ - ​square-cube law
7. Proving the Distance assignment​ - ​example of proof

Reflection:
I feel that I have learned a lot throughout this unit. I came into it already having a basic
understanding of many of the concepts we implemented, but my eyes were opened to just how
connected the ideas were to each other. I have always tended to think of math in terms of
separate topics: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, etc. However, I started to realize that
these are not clear ‘sections’ of math because they can all be used to explain eachother. For
example, a circle can be represented as a shape but also an equation, both of which correctly
show what a circle is. You can even go further to say that the formula for a circle is directly
related to the Pythagorean Theorem, which can also be proved using geometry. This realization
was very interesting, and it helped solidify what my math teachers always tell me, math is used
in so many things in life. Just like geometry and algebra are connected, the entire concept of
math is connected to so many things in our lives. Seeing the concepts we were learning being
applied to a real world situation, even if it was a slightly strange one, was very interesting to me.
It made me more excited to look for real world applications of the content, and in class, new
connections between mathematical concepts that I had not explored before. This unit has led me
to being more engaged and challenged than I have in a lot of other math classes, which is a good
step to being much more interested in math as a whole.