Keep the mathematical rule and the physical result distinct
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An exponential sequence in the model used eighty, sixty, and forty-five delivery credits across equal rounds, retaining three quarters of the preceding amount each time. A tangible result of the project was a working miniature tunnel that visitors could touch and inspect beside the planning drawings. An insubstantial support made from loosely folded tissue collapsed under a model cart because it lacked the needed solidity. The display separated a mathematical pattern, a physically present outcome, and the weakness of one component, connecting each description with evidence of the relevant kind.
The exponential pattern depended on a constant proportional factor across equal rounds, not simply on numbers changing rapidly or by the same absolute amount. The tangible tunnel could be handled even by visitors who found the credit sequence difficult to follow. Replacing the insubstantial tissue support with a firmer part addressed the observed structural weakness without changing the sequence's arithmetic. The students therefore kept separate notes on the model's rules and construction, so improving a physical component would not be mistaken for revising the mathematical relationship represented in the exercise.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.