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Figuring with Fermi Problems

Figuring with Fermi Problems. So who was Enrico Fermi and what are Fermi Problems…?. Named after the Italian-American University of Chicago professor and noted 20 th century physicist and Nobel Prize-winner

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Figuring with Fermi Problems

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  1. Figuring with Fermi Problems

  2. So who was Enrico Fermi and what are Fermi Problems…? • Named after the Italian-American University of Chicago professor and noted 20th century physicist and Nobel Prize-winner • Fermi problems are math word problems that require making educated guesses using estimation skills and prior knowledge • Fermi problems are solved by breaking the complex problem into smaller ones and using estimation skills to continuously refine your answer One super smart dude..! …and a US stamp in his honor… …has his own prize from the Atomic Energy Commission

  3. and what’s so much fun about them…? Fermi problems require imagination Fermi problems will “force” you to think differently Fermi problems are good exercise for your brain Fermi problems often don’t have an exact answer You can even create your own Fermi problems and stump your parents! Fermi problemswill help make you rich and famous!

  4. Let’s take a look at some examples of Fermi Problems… II. How many piano tuners are there in the city of Chicago? I. How many basketballs would fill this classroom? III. How many hot dogs will be sold at Yankee Stadium this season?

  5. Let’s start with an easy one… some might even call it a.. lay-up

  6. Easy Question… How many basketballs can fill this room?

  7. Easy Question… How many basketballs can fill this room? what information do we need to solve the problem…? Talk it over for a minute….

  8. Easy Question… How many basketballs can fill this room? what information do we need to solve the problem…? - Volume of this room? - Volume of a basketball?

  9. Let’s get to work!

  10. Volume of this room Volume = Length X Width X Height

  11. Volume of this room(in inches)

  12. Volume of a basketball? Well, a basketball is a sphere…. And the volume of a sphere = 4/3 πr3 where r is the radius of the ball of course! Hey old guys - use the circumference to calculate the radius

  13. Volume of a basketball? Hey, don’t forget if the circumference = 2πr, then you can find r by dividing the circumference by 2π!

  14. Volume of a basketball? Circumference = 29.5 in = 2πr Radius r = 29.5/(2π) = 4.69 in Volume = (4/3) π r3 = (4/3) π (4.69)3 = 432 cubic in.

  15. So back to the easy question… How many basketballs can fill this room? Answer:Divide the volume of the room by the volume of the basketball = 25,920,000 cu.in. / 432 cu.in. = 60,000 basketballsSo, how does that compare to your initial guesses?

  16. Pictures & Music Sources: Enrico Fermi pictures – American Institute of Physics, University of ChicagoBasketball background - Http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.desktopnexus.com/wallpapers/16550 Yankee Stadium - http://dianasneighborhood.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/yankee-stadium-hot-dog-permanently-scatterbrained.jpg Piano keys - http://www.paulhahn.com/images/pianos.jpg Basketball - http://www.barryonline.com/storage/basketball.jpg Sweet Georgia Brown (Harlem Globetrotters) by Bobby Morganstein ProductionsFrom the Album Sports & Novelty Themes Larry Bird & Kevin McHale http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/PHO/AAFC033~Larry-Bird-Kevin-McHale-1-Posters.jpg Kevin Garnett http://www.thesunblog.com/gourmetgal/kevin-garnett22.jpg Paul Pierce & Ray Allen - http://artfiles.art.com/5/p/LRG/27/2731/D3VND00Z/paul-pierce--ray-allen-game-4-of-the-2008-nba-finals.jpg

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