The Farmer and the Mathematician:using Geometry Expressions and Google Earth to investigate crop circles

The typical student complaint about mathematics is that it appears to have no practical application. The design and implementation of crop circles using center pivot irrigation provides us with an excellent example to see mathematics in action. By investigating these crop circles the lessons in this book utilize images from Google Earth, and a lighthearted scenario of a discussion between a farmer and a mathematician to introduce important mathematical concepts that are appropriate and adaptable for students in a arange of courses from Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry, up through and including Calculus.