Teacher Guide
This lesson is designed to teach kids to ask a critical thinking question that you can’t just put into a search box to
solve. To do that, we encourage them with smaller questions that search can help them answer. Make sure that
you read the notes for each slide: they not only give you teaching tips but also provide answers and hints so you
can help the kids if they are having trouble.
Remember, you can always send feedback to the Bing in the Classroom team at
[email protected]. You can learn more about the program at bing.com/classroom and follow
the daily lessons on our Partners In Learning site.
Want to extend today’s lesson? Consider using Skype in the Classroom to arrange for your class to chat with
another class in today’s location. And if you are using Windows 8, you can also use the Bing apps to learn more
about this location and topic; the Travel and News apps in particular make great teaching tools.
Diana Herrington has her B.S. and M.A. in mathematics from Cal Poly, SLO. She is currently teaching pre-service teachers
curriculum and supervising secondary math student teachers and interns at California State University Fresno. Prior to this
she was a 6-12 classroom teacher for 35 years teaching all levels of mathematics. Diana is a Presidential Awardee of
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), California State Science Fair Coach of the Year, and Central
Valley CUE Educator of the Year. She has worked on state assessment committees and has been a member of the
California MathematicsTask Force and the California Teacher Advisory Council (CalTAC). Diana’s belief that students can
only go as far in science as their mathematics will take them is her driving force for making sure students see and
experience mathematics in as many ways as possible.
This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: Mathematics
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.C.7 Interpret the slope (rate of change) and the intercept (constant term) of a linear model in the context of the data.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 Model with mathematics.
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
© Joe Petersburger/Getty Images
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
Geometeridae, the scientific family name for these insects, is of Greek origin,
with “geo” meaning Earth and “metron” meaning “to measure.” That name
springs from the caterpillar’s unusual locomotion method: The inchworm
clasps with its front legs and cinches its body up in a sort of loop, eventually
locking its back legs so it can extend forward again. This is in contrast to most
other caterpillars that use their legs to move along fully extended, without the
body-arching maneuver of the geometrid caterpillars.
The “earth measuring” gait of the inchworm inspired two common names:
looper and inchworm. “Looper” because of the loop-like bend of its body, and
“inchworm” not because it inches along, but because most species of
geometrid are roughly an inch long. So as it crawls, it measures the surface it’s
walking on, inch by inch.
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
1
Web Search
Search for the Inchworm on a Rubber Rope puzzle
2
Web Search
To solve the inchworm problem you will need to know the harmonic
series, what is a harmonic series?
3
Web Search
What is the length of time for the inchworm to be in the caterpillar
stage?
4
Web Search
As the inchworm moves along the rubber rope, does the proportionality
of what is behind the inchworm and what is in front of the inchworm
stay the same?
5
Thinking
Draw a diagram that represents the inchworm of a rubber rope puzzle.
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
5
Minutes
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
1
Web Search
Search for the Inchworm on a Rubber Rope puzzle
2
Web Search
To solve the inchworm problem you will need to know the harmonic
series, what is a harmonic series?
3
Web Search
What is the length of time for the inchworm to be in the caterpillar
stage?
4
Web Search
As the inchworm moves along the rubber rope, does the proportionality
of what is behind the inchworm and what is in front of the inchworm
stay the same?
5
Thinking
Draw a diagram that represents the inchworm of a rubber rope puzzle.
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
1
Web Search
Search for the Inchworm on a Rubber Rope puzzle
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
2
Web Search
To solve the inchworm problem you will need to know the harmonic
series, what is a harmonic series?
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
3
Web Search
What is the length of time for the inchworm to be in the caterpillar stage?
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
4
Web Search
As the inchworm moves along the rubber rope, does the proportionality
of what is behind the inchworm and what is in front of the inchworm stay
the same?
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.
5
Thinking
Draw a diagram or table that represents the inchworm of a rubber rope
puzzle.
Explain the solution for the inchworm’s paradox.