XBOX Xponential (Updated!)

How have video game console speeds changed over time?

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XBOX Xponential (Updated!)

How have video game console speeds changed over time?

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Check it out! This lesson was just updated in September 2024, and we hope you love the new and improved version. If you've already prepped an earlier version, fear not, you can still find those here through Thursday December 5, 2024.

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2023-2024 Versions

In the fall of 2024, Citizen Math released updated versions of every lesson in our library, plus a few new ones! We know you may have already prepped an earlier version or planned a repeat of last year, so we're continuing to make these earlier versions available through Thursday December 5, 2024.

You can find the new lessons through the regular search, and we hope you love them as much as we do. You can read more about these updates in Our Community.

How have video game consoles changed over time? In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted that computer processors would double in speed every two years. Twelve years later, the first modern gaming console -- the Atari 2600 -- was released, sparking a revolution in video games that have become ever-faster and more realistic.

Students create exponential models to predict the speed of video game processors over time, compare their predictions to observed speeds, and consider the consequences as digital simulations become increasingly lifelike.

REAL WORLD TAKEAWAYS

  • Video games have become increasingly realistic over time. This may be related to speedier processors.
  • Intel founder Gordon Moore predicted that processor speeds would double every two years; they have not, but they have grown exponentially (just less quickly).
  • As virtual simulations become more lifelike, this may have profound implications for media and society.

MATH OBJECTIVES

  • Build and evaluate exponential functions to model a real-world prediction
  • Generate and interpret an exponential regression (formally or informally) to describe a pattern in real-world data
  • Compare different but equivalent expressions

This complex task is best as a culminating unit activity after students have developed formal knowledge and conceptual understanding.
Algebra 2
Exponential Functions (Adv.)
Algebra 2
Exponential Functions (Adv.)
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices

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