This problem features a coil of tinplate being stored on a mandrel. In the first problem, students are presented with the diameter of the mandrel, the height from the floor, the width of the coil and the density of the steel. The problem is to calculate the maximum coil weight. A worked solution is included with...

Drinks cans are made by stamping out circular discs from a sheet of tin. Given the dimensions of the sheet of tin and the diameter of the circle stamped out, students are required to calculate the wastage and to investigate whether there is a more efficient method. The problem requires students to be able to...

This activity booklet uses the real life context of air traffic control using radar signals to identify the position of an aeroplane that students act out. It provides them with an opportunity to use their knowledge of waves and speed = distance / time to calibrate and calculate the distance a plane is from the...

The reduction mill reduces the thickness of a strip of steel using a series of rollers, each roller making the steel slightly thinner. The percentage reduction is constant on each pair of rollers. The mathematics used to calculate the actual reduction is similar to that used when calculating compound interest....

Tin cans come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In this activity students consider the net of a tin can, the formula for the total surface area and the formula for the volume of the can. The first problem requires students to express the total surface area as a function of r by eliminating h. The second problem...

Due to problems in the manufacture of tinplate coils, the edge of the strip can be slightly longer than the centre. This causes a 'wave' on the wall of the coil but can be rectified by differentially stretching the strip to make the edges flat. Students are required to apply Pythagoras' theorem to find the radius...