9781422284902

Try It Yourself

How difficult would it be to program a vehicle to drive you where you want to go? There are many programs today that do that work for you. But what if you had to do it the old way? By hand? Try to make precise directions to lead a friend to a new location. Do you think they would get there?

Materials:

• notebook • compass • tape measure • paper and pencil • friend

1. With a friend, measure your pace. Walk ten steps along a hallway. Use your normal steps. Measure the distance you walked. Divide by 10; that’s your average pace. 2. Use your pace measurement and a directional compass to create a map, step by step, of a small area. Perhaps a playground, or the route from your science class to the cafeteria, via the library. Make a route with many turns and obstacles. Be very specific in your directions. 3. Have your friend follow your directions exactly. They should note where they go and where they run into trouble. Did your directions send them into a wall? Or the wrong way? They should follow your directions as accurately as possible, while remaining safe.

4. How did it go? How successful were your directions? What do you think now about the power of a digital map?

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