Every year the New York City Marathon attracts thousands of the world's top runners. In 2003 there were two runners who stood out for two very different reasons. Martin Lel of Kenya won the race with a time of 2 hours, ten minutes, and 30 seconds. Sean Combs (better known to fans as "Puff Daddy", "P. Diddy", and now "Diddy") came in 11,372nd with a total time of 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds. That's not half bad when you consider there were 35,000 people in the race!

"Race the Rapper" is a mini-unit on the mathematical concept of slope. In this unit you will take the role of a marathon runner preparing for a race. After completing this unit you will be able to define slope, find slope, and read/interpret the slopes of distance vs. time graphs.

Please work through the unit by completing each section on the navigation bar in order. You will begin training in part 1 by building you skills as you master the definitions and methods of finding slopes. In part 2 you will take your first practice run as you complete a set of problems related to slope that will prepare you for the race. In part 3 you are ready for the race. Here you will collect data from both Martin Lel and P. Diddy, then you will calculate your own running rate and compare your outcomes. Finally, in part four you will review your experience and take a quiz.

Note: This activity is designed to take at least 3 hours to finished and is not intended to be completed in one sitting.

Teachers: The resources section contains lesson plans and iother information on the development and audience of this unit.

This unit was created as a project for EME 5207, Technology Rich Curricula at the University of Florida.