Esperanza students use calculus to measure Bundt cakes

Ms. Othmer’s advanced placement (AP) calculus BC students at Esperanza High School have fun after the AP test reviewing rotational solids by working on “Cake-ulus: The Delicious Way to Review Calculus.” Cake-ulus is a group project that Ms. Othmer adapted from Mrs. Sprinkle. The students graph a sample slice of Bundt cake on quarter-inch graph paper, plot coordinate points, use their scientific calculators to input their coordinates, determine best fit regression curves for yTop and yBottom, and use calculus to calculate the volume of their cakes. Students explain their regression curves and volumes to the class during presentations that may take form as a song or haiku poetry. The project reviews one of the fundamental – yet tricky – concepts learned during the year, while also having fun and promoting group work.