Foundations of Space Math Activities (Grades 3-5)
Space Math
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| Math Skills |
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| Material Cost per Learner | Free |
| Language | English |
Foundations of Space Math
This section introduces young learners, grade 3 to grade 5, to the wonders of the universe through foundational mathematics. Designed for elementary school educators and young learners, students will use basic arithmetic, fractions, decimals, simple time calculations, and introductory geometry to explore the sizes of planets, track comets, compare the Sun to other stars, and understand the basic scales of our solar system.
Table of Contents (Anchor Menu)
To help you easily navigate this extensive library, resources have been subcategorized by Core Math Skills. Use the Table of Contents below to jump directly to the materials that best fit your classroom's needs.
| Arithmetic, Ratios & Percentages ↓ | Geometry, Measurements & Scaling ↓ | Data Analysis & Graphing ↓ | Algebra & Equations ↓ |
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Arithmetic, Ratios & Percentages
| Resource Title & Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Atmospheric Aerosols by Percentage (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page99.pdf) ↗ | In these three problems students examine a table that lists the percentages of different aerosol types according to the location on Earth where they are produced. |
| Comparing Comets Up Close with NASA Spacecraft (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page43.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students compare five comets and determine size ranges and percentages. |
| Fractions in Space (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page6.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students explore the many ways that simple fractions come up in the study of planetary motion. |
| Telling Time on Mars (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/9Page41.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students work with time calculations to explore how the length of a day on Earth and Mars differs. |
| Timeline for Planet Formation (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page6.pdf) ↗ | In these five math problems students calculate time intervals in millions and billions of years from a timeline of events in planet formation. |
| Groups; Clusters and Individuals (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page11.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students determine the number of individual objects given the number of groups and the number of individuals in an average group for clusters of stars and galaxies. |
| The Dollars and Cents of Research (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page4.pdf) ↗ | In these six math problems students work with dollar amounts, hourly salary rates and percentages to explore various models of the cost of scientific research as seen by the individual scientist. |
| Time Zone Math (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page3.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students learn about time zones and perform simple clock calculations using common United States and European time zones. |
| Atomic Numbers and Multiplying Fractions (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page71.pdf) ↗ | In these seven math problems students use a piece of the Periodic Table of the Elements to figure out the identities of atoms based on numerical clues expressed as mixed numbers. |
| Planetary Conjunctions (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/6Page42.pdf) ↗ | In these two math problems students study a simple solar system with three planets and work out how often planets will 'line up'. |
| Star light...Star bright - A question of magnitude! (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/2page21.pdf) ↗ | Students will calculate the brightness differences between stars using multiplication and division. Working with the number line will be a big help and math review! |
| The Stellar Magnitude Scale (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page10.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students learn about positive and negative numbers using a popular brightness scale used by astronomers. |
| Shipping Cargo to the International Space Station (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page127.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students work with kilograms and watts to determine the cargo capacity for re-supply missions to the International Space Station. |
| How do Telescopes Magnify? (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page41.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students use a simple ratio formula to calculate the magnification of a telescope. |
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Geometry, Measurement & Scaling
| Resource Title & Link | Description |
|---|---|
| The Earth-like Planet Gliese 518g (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/7Page40.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students use data for the Gliese 581 planetary system to draw a scaled model of the locations and sizes of the discovered planets. |
| Comparing Planets Orbiting other Stars (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/8Page41.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students use arithmetic to determine the relative sizes of several new planets recently discovered by the Kepler mission, and compare these sizes to that of Jupiter and Earth. |
| Earth and Moon to Scale (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page25.pdf) ↗ | In these eight math problems students create a scale model of the Earth-Moon system and compare with artistic renditions and actual NASA spacecraft images. |
| Asteroids and comets and meteors - Oh My! (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/2page16.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students will calculate the scale of the map, and answer questions about the distances between these objects, and the number that cross earth's orbit. |
| The Relative Sizes of the Sun and Stars (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page27.pdf) ↗ | In these seven math problems students work through a series of comparisons of the relative sizes of the sun compared to other stars, to create a scale model of stellar sizes using simple fractional relationships. |
| Galaxies to Scale (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page29.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students explore the relative sizes of the Milky Way compared to other galaxies to create a scale model of galaxies. |
| Working with Areas of Rectangles and Circles (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/RBSP2.pdf) ↗ | In these seven math problems students use the formulas for simple rectangle and circle areas to determine the areas of the holes in a satellite panel. |
| How Telescopes Work (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page40.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students compare how much light a telescope can gather compared to the human eye. |
| Pan's Highway and Saturn's Rings (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page48.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students use an image from the Cassini spacecraft to determine how large the satellite Pan is, and the scale of Saturn's rings using a millimeter ruler. |
| Saturns Rings - A close-up study (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page11.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students use a Cassini image of Saturns rings to calculate the sizes of the smallest rings, and how their thicknesses change with distance from Saturn. |
| Volumes of Solids - Packing for a trip to the Moon (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page68.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students calculate volumes of rectangular solids and pack a volume-limited travel kit used by astronauts. |
| The Moon as a Black Hole (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/7Page29.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students draw a life-sized model of the Earth and Moon as two black holes to explore the actual sizes of these exotic astronomical bodies. |
| Tracking a Sea Turtle from Space (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/8Page1.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students use satellite data to determine the daily and hourly speed of a leatherback turtle as it travels from New Zealand to California across the Pacific Ocean. |
| Galaxy Distances and Mixed Fractions (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page70.pdf) ↗ | In these eight math problems students use the relative distances to nearby galaxies expressed in mixed numbers to determine distances between selected galaxies. |
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Data Analysis & Graphing
| Resource Title & Link | Description |
|---|---|
| The Oldest Lunar Rocks (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/7Page19.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students use a list of the ages of the oldest lunar rock samples is grouped into families with about the same average ages to estimate the age of the lunar mare. |
| Kepler Spies Five New Planets (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/6Page113.pdf) ↗ | In these two math problems students count squares on a Bizarro Star to study the transit of a planet, and determine the diameter of the planet. |
| Cosmic Bar Graphs (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page2.pdf) ↗ | In these two math problems students interpret simple bar graphs taken from astronomical data. |
| Areas and Probabilities (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page13.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students work with various means of estimating probabilities using a comparison of areas. |
| The Orbit of Comet ISON (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page23.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students explore how close Comet ISON will get to Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars during its 2013 passage. |
| Curiosity Heads for Mt Sharp (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page29.pdf) ↗ | In these four math problems students use tabular data to estimate how long it will take the Curiosity rover to reach the base of Mt Sharp using data from its previous week travels. |
| Searching for Comets (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page45.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students use tabular data on the detection of new comets since 1999 to explore detection rates over time. |
| Comet Encounters after Discovery (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/10Page46.pdf) ↗ | In these three math problems students examine how often newly discovered comets approach Earth and become a hazard, and how soon after discovery these close passes can occur. |
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Algebra & Linear Equations
| Resource Title & Link | Description |
|---|---|
| More Atomic Fractions (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page85.pdf) ↗ | In these eight math problems students study the energy ladders of an atom and work out the energy gained or lost by an electron as it moves up and down the ladder. |
| Nuclear Arithmetic (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page72.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students use the equation N = A - Z to solve for A, Z or N given values for the other two variables. |
| Equations with One Variable (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page7.pdf) ↗ | In these two math problems students solve formulas of the form 2001 = 1858 + 11x to find 'X'. |
| Perimeters: Which constellation is the longest? (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page76.pdf) ↗ | In these six math problems students use tabulated data for the angular distances between stars in the Big Dipper and Orion to determine which constellation has the longest perimeter, and the average star separations. |
| Number Sentence Puzzles (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/hpd/heat/space-math/5Page5.pdf) ↗ | In this math activity students are presented with three number sentences such as 145 + N = 375, and asked to select which 'spacy' word problem they belong to. |
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Table of Contents (Anchor Menu)
To help you easily navigate this extensive library, resources have been subcategorized by Core Math Skills. Use the Table of Contents below to jump directly to the materials that best fit your classroom's needs.
| Arithmetic, Ratios & Percentages ↓ | Geometry, Measurements & Scaling ↓ | Data Analysis & Graphing ↓ | Algebra & Equations ↓ |