Bone Mineral Density Math and Beer's Law
How do we find the bone mineral density of bones?Copyright 2007 Glitzy queen00, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ap_lateral_elbow.jpg
Students revisit the mathematics required to find bone mineral density, to which they were introduced in lesson 2 of this unit. They learn the equation to find intensity, Beer's law, and how to use it. Then they use the associated activity to investigate real world applications prior to completing a sheet of practice problems that use the Beer's law equation.
Students see the real-world connection with this material right away. Beer's law and the other equations that they learn in this lesson are mathematical tools that biomedical engineers use every day when they make bone mineral density readings. Environmental engineers also use light intensity measurements when designing solar panels and other forms of energy storage. Almost every type of engineer knows and uses Beer's law.
After this lesson, student should be able to:
- Apply their knowledge of logarithms to solve Beer's law problems.
- Explain the breath of the applications of logarithms.