If your students have ever asked, “When are we going to use this in real life?” This is one of those moments where you get to say, “Right now.”

COMAP’s Barging Ahead: Optimizing a Trip Upriver minimodule provides students with the opportunity to apply calculus to a real-world problem: determining the most efficient method for moving freight by barge. On the surface, it’s about river travel. Underneath, it’s a lesson in mathematical modeling, environmental impact, and cost-benefit thinking.

Barges might not be the flashiest subject, but they are incredibly efficient. A single barge can haul the equivalent of 60 semi-trucks. That kind of scale makes even small improvements in speed or fuel use a big deal. 

This module challenges students to think like a freight company CEO: What speed minimizes energy use? What if the river current varies along the way? What if your goal is to save money?

Through this module, students get to:

• Break down how speed and resistance affect energy use
• Figure out the smartest speed to minimize cost, not just fuel
• Tackle a river current that doesn’t stay constant
• Think through how real-world limitations shape better decisions

This resource is perfect for a first course in calculus or an introduction to modeling. It’s not about getting the “right” answer; it’s about building the skills to ask better questions and make smarter decisions.

Give your students a reason to see math as more than a classroom subject. Show them how it moves the world, one barge at a time.

Explore the Barging Ahead Minimodule
(available for download with a free COMAP membership)

Want more resources that help your students dive into math modeling? Check these out next:

• Getting Started with Math Modeling
• How to Adapt Mathematical Modeling for Different Grade Levels
• Why Group Projects Can Fail and 5 Ways to Make Them Work