Sometimes what we learn or at least are encountering is not so comprehensible. By translating it into other forms of expression, notably visualizations, information can be processed to the point of being understood. The following pages of screen movies examine the problem of taking numerical data that scales, change by growing or shrinking, and providing step by step instruction on how to do such compositions using 3D and the Excel spreadsheet.

The problem of understanding scaling is of particular interest for intermediate and middle school classrooms. Teachers at different grade levels would need to find their own scaling problem examples to keep them relevant to the mathematical maturity of their students.

Lengths of screencasts (8 min 19 sec)

1. 3D & Excel, 1 min 14 secs
   

2. 2nd Life Build, 3 min 19 secs
   

3. Scaling in 3D, 46 secs
   

4. Perspective, 3 min 6 secs
   

This work is linked to a related composition:

1. •The Knowledge Society (article)