A geometric puzzle with real-life connections:
On Hornby Island, BC, local artists were commissioned to paint the volunteer fire department's water tanks in a dozen different locations around the island. Artist Pix Sutherland noticed that this tank was in exactly the same proportions as a Campbell's soup can and painted this (controversial) tribute to Andy Warhol's famous 1960s soup can pop art paintings.
Lots of math problems could come out of this story. Here's one: given the size of the actual Campbell's Soup can (of normal size) and the height of the bike in the photo, what are the dimensions of the volunteer fire department's water tank? What is its volume? Does it hold enough water to put out an average house fire?
Your task: work on this puzzle yourself, and let your 'teacher bird' and 'student bird' notice how you approach it, where you can use reasoning and where you need to research, where you get stuck and un-stuck.
Then work on either: (a) extending this puzzle, or (b) coming up with your own puzzle for secondary math students based on a real-life observation you have made (and include a photo or graphic to support it).
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