World Solar Power

This is a "real world" modeling problem. Students must choose the appropriate data from the sustainability data set and then use Desmos to model the data. They are not explicitly told this in the task as we are encouraging them to consider the tools at their disposal and use the appropriate ones. Desmos will create an exponential model for the data (if you are using this activity early on or as a class) and then they can use this model to address the question asked. An example of this is shown below. This is a good problem solving task and can be used to allow students to see another motivation for exponential functions before we get into the nitty gritty in the next activity. This activity is followed up on in the next activity to dig more into the meaning of the model.

I use this activity in various different ways - sometimes I have students work on it in class, sometimes out of class (as the activity below would be used for) and sometimes we do it together in class. It really depends on where you decide to use it and how much experience they have with creating exponential functions at the time.