Denver's large blue bear, which resides outside the Colorado Convention Center, provides the real-life tie-in to this estimation activity.
Edited by Erik Tillema, etillema@iupui.edu, who teaches at Indiana University in Indianapolis, and Fred Dillon, dillon314@sbcglobal.net, a math educator from Strongsville, Ohio. Manuscripts should show how math is used to solve a real-life problem, preferably in the context of one's profession, and should be no more than 300 words. Submit manuscripts through http://mtms.msubmit.net.
Edward C. Nolan, Edward_C_Nolan@mcpsmd.org, is supervisor of mathematics in Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. He taught mathematics at the middle school and high school levels for nineteen years. His current interests include algebra readiness, multiple representations, and student understanding of patterns.