Posted by roakey on September 06, 2001 at 02:33:19:
In Reply to: Re: Seems overly complex posted by Joe R on September 05, 2001 at 22:01:22:
...keep the why simple.
Though a technical student better gosh darn well be willing to crunch numbers, the level of detail in this case isn't necessary.
Simply say that Sally Sipper has a 66cf cylinder and Howard Hoover has a 99cf cylinder and breathes 1.5 times as much as Sally Sipper. When they turn the dive at thirds, Sally has consumed 22cf of gas leaving her with 44cf. Howard has consumed 22 * 1.5 = 33cf of gas to get to this point (and coincidentally turns the dive at the same time). If Howard has a complete gas failure, they need 22cf + 33cf = 55cf of gas to get out, and Sally only has 44cf on her back. One, the other or most likely both are going to die.
You get the point across without diluting the message in all the calculations. And I agree, it IS an important message that you need to get across.
When teaching, sometimes what you don't say is just as important as what you DO say.
Roak