National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STEM LEARNING:
Advanced Air Mobility: Flight
Control Math 1 (Graphing)
Educator Guide
www.nasa.gov
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OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students use graphing in a real-world situation to learn about geofencing. By combining coordinate
systems with maps, students locate positions and specified areas. Using this information, students evaluate different
routes that air taxis can take.

Objectives Student Prerequisite Knowledge

Students will be able to: Before beginning this lesson, students should be familiar
• Plot points in all four quadrants of a Cartesian with:
coordinate system • Plotting coordinates on a graph
• Use points to construct lines and shapes
• Validate air taxi routes based on data

Standards
CCS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.C.6: Understand a rational number as a point on the number line. Extend number line
diagrams and coordinate axes familiar from previous grades to represent points on the line and in the plane with
negative number coordinates.

Next Generation Science Standards

Cross Cutting Concepts
• Systems and system models

Science and Engineering Practices

• Developing and using models
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Using mathematical and computational thinking
Plotting coordinates on a graph

Materials
• Student Guides
 ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE | 3

Lesson Modifications
This lesson can be easily modified depending on Locations on Earth can all be specified using latitude
student needs. More locations can be added to the and longitude. As an enrichment activity, students can
graph to provide more practice. Modifying the shape of research longitude and latitude using the internet or other
the geofenced areas can change the difficulty level of resources. Comparing and contrasting longitude and
graphing them. latitude to the coordinate system in this exercise helps
students further understood the real-world application of
One version of this activity has all coordinates in quadrant graphing while mapping. Have them determine where on
1 and another version has some coordinates in each of Earth would be the origin in the latitude/longitude system.
the four quadrants. The answers for both versions can be
found in this educator guide.

Grouping Students
This activity is designed to be completed independently. Grouping can, however, be used if necessary. Students working
in pairs can independently solve the problem and then compare answers to validate their solutions or find errors.

Steps
1. Show the students the NASA video about Safeguard 4. Show the map of Cheyenne, Wyoming with the grid.
(technology used to implement geofencing). The Discuss how using the grid makes it possible to
video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/ specify locations because it provides a reference point.
watch?v=0Kc01cV7vCU. 5. Distribute the student guides and allow students to
2. Review graphing on the Cartesian coordinate system. begin working.
3. Show the map of Cheyenne, Wyoming without the 6. Allow students to verify answers for the “Getting the
grid. Discuss the function of air taxis and the dangers Coordinates” section. (This allows students to find
associated with flying in some areas, such as over errors that would be compounded in the “Using the
the airport. Distance Formula” section.)
4 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE

A satellite photo of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Credit: USGS.

A map of Cheyenne, Wyoming with numerous colors. Credit: USGS.

 ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE | 5

A map of Cheyenne, Wyoming that is blue and white. Credit: USGS.

A map of Cheyenne, Wyoming with a grid overlaid on it that includes the origin near the center. Credit: USGS.
6 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE

ANSWERS (USING ALL FOUR QUADRANTS)

PART 1
This student guide includes a coordinate system with the origin set to correspond with the maps shown. You can also
use regular graph paper to complete this activity.

1. The geofenced area around the state capitol is a 2 x 2 box. The coordinate for the corners of this box are: (1, 1),
(1, -1), (-1, -1), and (-1, 1). Plot these points on the graph and connect the four points to create a box. Shade in
this area.
2. Because of its runways, the geofenced area around Cheyenne Regional Airport is a bit more complicated. The
coordinates for the corners of the geofenced areas are: (-4, 12), (0, 12), (0, 9), (13, 9), (13, 4), and (-4, 4). Plot these
points on the graph and connect the points to show the geofenced area. Shade in this area.
****The graph showing the answers is included later in this guide.****

PART 2
You get a job in Cheyenne, Wyoming managing an air taxi service. Small, unmanned vehicles make up your fleet of
air taxis. Your job is to determine the routes they need to fly to transport passengers around the city. In an urban
setting like Cheyenne, air taxis cannot land or take off from anywhere they want. Instead vertiports are established
throughout the city for this purpose. Vertiports are buildings from which air taxis can land and take off.
****The graph showing some of the answers is included later in this guide.****

1. Plot the following points and mark each with its corresponding letter. These points represent the vertiports in
Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Point X Y
A 9 -1
B -11 8
C -9 -4
D -3 -2
E 3 14
F 16 3
G 23 15
 ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE | 7

2. Your company’s headquarters are located by the vertiport represented by point A. This is where all your air taxis are
housed when not in use.

This morning, you want to send air taxis from point A to each of the other vertiports. On your graph, draw a line for
each of the six paths. For each path, determine whether it can fly straight from point A to its destination without
going into a geofenced area and write your answer below. Your graph should prove evidence for each.

From A to B: It cannot fly straight From A to E: It cannot fly straight

From A to C: It can fly straight From A to F: It can fly straight
From A to D: It can fly straight From A to G: It can fly straight

3. The city is planning on building a new vertiport at the coordinates (11, 13). Because of the geofenced area around
the airport, you cannot send an air taxi straight from your headquarters to this new vertiport.

So, you decide to create a waypoint where your air taxi can turn. The air taxi should be able to fly straight from
headquarters to this point and then straight from this point to the new vertiport, all without entering a geofenced
area. You need to find one point east (to the right) of the geofenced area that could act as the waypoint. Enter
the coordinates of your point below, graph it, and show both legs on the air taxi’s flightpath as evidence that the
waypoint you chose met the criteria.

Coordinates of the waypoint: There are many possible answers; the graph shows the point (19, 4) as one possible
solution.

Blank graph.
8 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE

Answer Key Graph.

 ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE | 9

ANSWERS (USING ONLY QUADRANT 1)

The following can be used to complete this activity with all points in quadrant 1 of the coordinate system.

PART 1
This student guide includes a coordinate system with the origin set to correspond with the maps shown. You can also
use regular graph paper to complete this activity.

1. The geofenced area around the state capitol is a 2 x 2 box. The coordinate for the corners of this box are: (12, 4),
(12, 6), (14, 6), and (14, 4). Plot these points on the graph and connect the four points to create a box. Shade in
this area.
2. Because of its runways, the geofenced area around Cheyenne Regional Airport is a bit more complicated. The
coordinates for the corners of the geofenced areas are: (9, 17), (13, 17), (13, 14), (26, 14), (26, 9), and (9, 9). Plot these
points on the graph and connect the points to show the geofenced area. Shade in this area.
****The graph showing the answers is included later in this guide.****

PART 2
You get a job in Cheyenne, Wyoming managing an air taxi service. Small, unmanned vehicles make up your fleet of
air taxis. Your job is to determine the routes they need to fly to transport passengers around the city. In an urban
setting like Cheyenne, air taxis cannot land or take off from anywhere they want. Instead vertiports are established
throughout the city for this purpose. Vertiports are buildings from which air taxis can land and take off.
****The graph showing some of the answers is included later in this guide.****

1. Plot the following points and mark each with its corresponding letter. These points represent the vertiports in
Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Point X Y
A 22 4
B 2 4
C 4 1
D 11 3
E 16 19
F 29 8
G 36 20
10 | ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE

2. Your company’s headquarters are located by the vertiport represented by point A. This is where all your air taxis are
housed when not in use.

This morning, you want to send air taxis from point A to each of the other vertiports. On your graph, draw a line for
each of the six paths. For each path, determine whether it can fly straight from point A to its destination without
going into a geofenced area and write your answer below. Your graph should prove evidence for each.

From A to B: It cannot fly straight From A to E: It cannot fly straight

From A to C: It can fly straight From A to F: It can fly straight
From A to D: It can fly straight From A to G: It can fly straight

3. The city is planning on building a new vertiport at the coordinates (24, 18). Because of the geofenced area around
the airport, you cannot send an air taxi straight from your headquarters to this new vertiport.

So, you decide to create a waypoint where your air taxi can turn. The air taxi should be able to fly straight from
headquarters to this point and then straight from this point to the new vertiport, all without entering a geofenced
area. You need to find one point east (to the right) of the geofenced area that could act as the waypoint. Enter
the coordinates of your point below, graph it, and show both legs on the air taxi’s flightpath as evidence that the
waypoint you chose met the criteria.

Coordinates of the waypoint: There are many possible answers; the graph shows the point (19, 4) as one possible
solution.
ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY: FLIGHT CONTROL MATH 1 (GRAPHING) EDUCATOR GUIDE | 11
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