Applying Math beyond the Classroom Walls

 

October 7, 2020

The students in Mr. Andrew Linquist's General Applied Math class at Chinook High School were busily engaged in a real-world math lesson on Friday, September 25. In a Boone and Crocket Club scoring simulation, students measured antlers that they had brought in from various hunts or as shed finds.

Stacie Liddle, who had been absent the previous day, was working on the measurements of a mule deer rack from a buck bagged by Chad Surber and brought in by his daughter, Lily, who is also enrolled in the class.

In fact, the young Surber took the lead in the classroom as she and a group of males selected to score an elk rack brought in by Hunter Molyneaux and found by his father Nathan as sheds this past spring.

About the bull, the elder Molyneaux said: "Hopefully he's doing well and is bigger this fall." Molyneaux plans to hunt the elk sometime during the general big game hunting season, which opened on September 15 and extends until November 29.


To score the sheds, the group completed several measurements and calculations required in the official scoring system used by the Boone and Crocket Club (B&CC). The process began with counting the number of points on both the right and the left antlers. That was followed by three spread measurements: tip-to-tip, greatest spread, and the inside spread of the main beams. The measurement that is taken perpendicular to the axis of the skull, between the centers of the main beams at the widest point, is the one that really counts. From this inside spread measurement, the rack will get a spread credit, which may equal but not exceed the longer main beam.


Next, the group added up the lengths of abnormal points to determine deductions for lack of symmetry. Then, they took length measurements of the main beam and of each point, recording these on their score card. Once the figures are recorded in a column for the right antler and one for the left, the difference is calculated in a third column. The total sum of these differences denotes the rack's deduction.

Finally, the student mathematicians measured the circumferences at the narrowest location between the points. Performing four pairs of measurements, they measured between first and second points, second and third, third and fourth, fourth and fifth.

While Surber and company worked on their wapiti, Liddle took various measurements on the mule deer rack she had chosen from the selection provided. Under the B&CC's scoring system, the gross score for a typical mule deer is the sum total of measurements of his inside spread, length of his main beams, length of points, and eight mass or circumference measurements. By definition, a typical mule deer will have four points per side, plus eye guards.


After judging all these antler features, students were able to put their animals into one of three categories; obviously a record contender, a buck or bull on the bubble that required actually adding up the numbers to see if he would make the typical minimum score, or just one heck of a nice buck or bull.

By B&C standards, the typical minimum for a mule deer is 180. Bailey Skoyen measured a mule deer that had a gross score of 189 3/8 inches and a final score of 180 5/8 inches-the biggest one in the collection of racks residing in the Chinook High School math classroom. The deer was shot by her great grandfather Floyd Skoyen in the early 1970s.

The elk rack's gross score was calculated at 355 ¾ inches and with a final of 344 ½ inches. "These scores are absolutely an 'interpretation' of the scorer's ability to measure correctly, which is why there are official scorers. I myself do not claim to be official," Linquist said. "That elk rack score surprised me as being a little low." The current minimum qualifying score for the Montana Big Game Records Book and the B&CC is 360.

About the development of this math project, Linquist explained, "Over the last five years, many students who know that I hunt have asked me: 'What do you think this buck scores,' accompanied with a picture of their hunting success. Catering towards those students' interests, I thought it would be an enjoyable activity to have the students score sets of antlers in class to practice their basic arithmetic skills. For those that do not have an interest in hunting, a preference I absolutely respect, the process of scoring can still relate to obtaining data for scientific purposes.

"A thorough look through the record books can provide some insight into wildlife management practices and the overall 'genetics' of a specific area. Personally, I enjoy the scoring process as it integrates basic arithmetic with a pleasurable passion of mine, something that most students appreciate as well.

"Mathematical proficiency is positively influenced by repetition of a skill. Having students repetitively practice a common skill, such as the addition and subtraction of fractions, in a manner that caters towards their interests but is also productive can be difficult to find. Over the last couple of years, this has been an enjoyable and productive activity, one that I always look forward to. It has been especially neat to have students bring in their own antlers, rather than the few sets I have in my classroom. This year I had several students bring in deer and elk antlers of their own, which of course leads to interesting stories and recollections of fond memories for all."

 
 

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