Shower Curtains and Math

  I had to replace the shower curtain in my bathroom.  It's about 10 years old, yellowed and it cracks every time it moves.  I replaced it but I really hate to throw things out so its been sitting on my bathroom floor while I figure out what to use it for.

Today, while helping a student, I wondered if a shower curtain could be used as a coordinate plane so students could move around while learning to use the coordinate plane.

In the Math equals love blog the teacher explained that she used duct tape and electrical tape to create the axis and the coordinate planes.  That answered my question on what can I use to make the lines.  This is cool.  So how can I use this once I'm done.

Use it to teach:
1. The coordinate plane, quadrants, and coordinates.

2. Midpoints and distance. Students can walk on it to physically notice what is going on.

3. Parallel lines and perpendicular lines.

4.  The four types of slopes.

5. Finding equations of lines including slope, the y-intercept, or from two points.

6.  Coordinate plane geometry

7.  Trigonometry such as trig ratios, positive and negative angles, standard position, co-terminal angles.

8. Coordinate plane battleship.

9.  Transformations.

10. Polynomials.

I can see so many different ways I could use this.  If I can secure a second one, I could easily create a unit circle to use in the classroom.  I think I need to pop buy the dollar store near my parents house this summer.