Tooltip
These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

The Mathematics of Highway Design

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working to build a two mile by-pass around a small rural village for a major contractor.

The task is to determine the alignment of the new road using information provided by the company that designed it. To do this learners will need to establish the position of the road centre-line and locate marker pegs at set intervals in the open fields around the village where the road will eventually be built. To complete the task students have to calculate the geometric coordinates of these pegs along the curve of the new road.

The detailed resource notes include introductory materials, background theory, questions and information for teachers.

Show health and safety information

Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

Information on the permitted use of this resource is covered by the Category Three Content section in STEM Learning’s Terms and conditions.