Circumcenters and Epicenters

http://scottfarrar.googlepages.com/circumcenter_lomaprieta.html

So I put together this mathlet in anticipation of doing Triangle Centers. I love it, and I hate it. On one side, I’m very satisfied with how it turned out implementation-wise. On the other side, I’m not satisfied with what the lesson is. This is not a 50 minute activity. So they find Loma Prieta. Big whoop! There’s not really a *problem* to solve.

Could I muddy up the data? Could I muddy the data? Or should I go and try to get actual USGS data in terms of when the first shockwaves were felt and where. With all the differing topography in the Bay Area, I’m sure the shockwaves were not perfectly circular. And yet, if we took a lot of data we could probably do the calculations/constructions needed in order to find a good estimate for Loma Prieta.

Whats frustrating is that this lesson is not ready, and I’m not sure if I’ll have time to get it all the way there by the time this comes up in the year.