Pilot
Meet DOT!
The robot DOT (they/them) is your Delightful Operations Teammate. DOT is very excited to work with you! Together, you and DOT will explore the six interactive episodes of this season of DOT’s Snack Quest in Vector Land to explore the wonderful world of vectors.
DOT loves snacks! I mean… DOT really loves snacks!!! In each episode, your job is to give instructions to DOT to help them collect snacks placed at various points in their world. By the end of the season, you and DOT will have learned the techniques required to collect their snacks (and perform other tasks too) in a variety of tricky situations… and DOT will have a very full robot tummy!
Before we introduce the Snack Quest module, let’s take a moment to check in and see what your previous experience with vectors is like. Consider the following example:
DOT is standing beside a moving walkway and sees a slice of pizza directly across from them on the other side of the walkway. DOT is determined to get to that slice of pizza as quickly as possible! In order to cross directly to the slice of pizza with no zig-zagging, DOT will need to walk at an angle, pointing in a direction against the motion of the walkway.
Assume that the walkway is 2 meters wide and is moving at 1 meter per second. Assume also that DOT can walk at a rate of 2 meters per second. The pizza is directly across the moving walkway from DOT, so the walkway’s motion is perpendicular to the straight line that DOT wants to walk across the walkway.
Vector Vibes Check
If you didn’t know where to start, that’s okay! This is the type of problem you and DOT will work toward solving this season.
DOT’s Snack Quest in Vector Land
There are six episodes this season:
Each episode has three segments:
- Preview: You’ll read a brief overview of what you and DOT will get up to during the episode.
- Practice: You’ll learn a little bit of the math you can use to help DOT collect their snacks and you’ll practice what you learned by solving an abstract problem. Read the question and type your answer in the space provided. It’s okay if you don’t answer all the parts correctly on your first try; just keep trying!
- Apply: You’ll take what you and DOT have learned and apply it in a similar setting. Again, keep trying until you’ve answered all parts of the problem correctly!
Episodes 1 and 2 also have a segment called Play: You’ll play a short video game to help DOT collect their snacks… and you and DOT will develop some math skills along the way! Keep playing for as long as you like!
After you have completed all parts of one episode, you’ll be ready to move onto the next episode. Work through one episode at a time or binge the whole season… it’s up to you!
