How do you keep student’s interested in exponents? Go to the museum and answer the ancient question: How many rats were in one of the trenches at the end of World War I?

Mrs. McEuen brought her College Algebra classes to the museum to introduce the importance of exponents. After a brief introduction to WWI and trench warfare, students set out to find the answer to a 100 year old question: If 2 rats live in a WWI trench and they have 900 offspring in one year, how many rats could possibly  be in the trench at the end of 4 years? It did not take many calculations before students began creating reasons why ALL the rats would not have survived! Mrs. McEuen worked with her classes until they discovered, on their own, how exponents make calculations easier. They also gained a new respect for our WWI veterans!