NAME _________________________________
Date __________________
We will assume the players are on the edge of the side lines for each play.
1. If Troy Polamalu is on the 20 yard line and Ray Rice is on the opposite side of the field on the same 20
yard line, how far must Troy run to catch Ray on opposing 30 yard line? (Assume the NFL Football field is
about 53 yards wide.)
2. J.J. Watt was on the 40 yard line and Tony Romo decided to run it in from the 50 yard line. Tony ran 45
yards before he was tackled. How far did J.J. run? Did Tony make the touchdown? (Assume the NFL Football
field is about 53 yards wide.)
KEY
We will assume the players are on the edge of the side lines for each play.
1. If Troy Polamalu is on the 20 yard line and Ray Rice is on the opposite side of the field on the same 20 yard line, how far must
Troy run to catch Ray on opposing 30 yard line? (Assume the NFL Football field is about 53 yards wide.)
The distance between the players initially is approximately 53 yards. (160 feet – you may need to discuss
estimation, rounding errors, etc.) There are 50 yards between the starting point and opposing 30 yard line.
Therefore, my legs are 53 yards and 50 yards respectfully. (I would expect the students to go into great
detail explaining how they got their answers and why it makes since. I will refrain here for brevity.) Blah
Blah Blah… The hypotenuse would equal approximately 72.9 or 80 yards.
2. J.J. Watt was on the 40 yard line and Tony Romo decided to run it in from the 50 yard line. Tony ran 45 yards before he was
tackled. How far did J.J. run? Did Tony make the touchdown? How far did J.J. Watt run before he tackled Tony Romo? (Assume
the NFL Football field is
about 53 yards wide.)
I extend the lesson by creating
problems where the players are
closer together initially
This is a great problem to discuss estimations and approximations with students. Watt will run 10 yards
before he is part of the right triangle. I tell the kids it took Watt 10 yards before he realizes Romo is running
it in himself. The discussions will take on a life of itself. Tony would be 5 yards short of a touchdown. Watt
would run about 79.5 yards before the tackle; this includes the 10 yards he ran in a straight line. Again, I
would require the students to give me a much more detailed answer.
Answers will vary, but should be detailed and complete.
The players are approximately 43 yards apart initially using the markers on the right
side of the figure. Bailey ran about 100 yards, but he was not in line with Watson until
he ran about 11 yards. So, the legs are about 43 yards and 89 yards which makes the
hypotenuse 98.8 yards. Watson ran just under 99 yards to tackle Champ Bailey.
Champ Bailey ran about 100 yards and Ben Watson ran just under 99 yards. So, Bailey
ran one more yard than Watson, but Watson was awesome!
NAME _____________________________
Period ______
DATE _____________
PRACTICE
Assume 53
yards wide
1. The quarterback is at the middle of the 10 yard line. He has to make a decision to throw the ball to
player A who is in the middle of the 50 yard line, but has to get through at least four opponents or to
player B who is on the side line of the 50 yard line with only minimum interference. Which player is
farther away? How much farther?
2. Use the following diagram to create a dynamic word problem involving football and the Pythagorean
Theorem.
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PRACTICE KEY
1.
26.5 yards
40 yards
The quarterback is at the middle of the 10 yard line so that makes him about 26.5
yards from the sideline where player B is waiting on the 50 yard line. Player A is
directly in front of him at mid-field which is 40 yards away. Therefore, my legs of
the right triangle are 40 yards and 26.5 yards. I know from the definition of a right
triangle that Player B is farther away. The hypotenuse is always longer than the
legs. In order to determine how much farther away, I will use the Pythagorean
theorem………. 50 yards – 40 yards = 10 yards. Player B is 10 more yards away, but
very little interference – WHAT would you do???
2. Answers will vary widely. I like to use their questions on the next
test. They LOVE it!