Tilted Squares
This NRICH maths activity is an investigation on tilted squares. The aim is to be able to predict the area of any tilted square.
In the context of calculating areas by 'boxing in' and/or dissection, this problem offers rich opportunities for systematic investigation which should lead to Pythagoras' Theorem.
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Review
on 9th December 2010
Activity time:35 minutes
Level / prior knowledge: area of a square and triangle,KS3/KS4
Subject…
Activity time:35 minutes
Level / prior knowledge: area of a square and triangle,KS3/KS4
Subject / curriculum links / skills: problem solving, generalising a solution, Pythagoras’ Theorem,
Preparation time: none (unless you want to make sure you can solve the problem yourself)
Extra resources: projector/IWB
Commentary
I used this problem with a bottom set Year 10 class studying for higher GCSE. I didn’t follow the teachers’ notes to this activity having already learnt Pythagoras’ Theorem. Also, the solution is quite messy and hard to read since it’s handwritten so I created my own. My class has 10 students in it so we worked through the activity as a whole class and I got them to lead the discussion and the problem solving. We worked out a general solution to the problem in half an hour but they already knew the theorem so it would take much more time starting from scratch. The students liked the fact they were using what they had learnt to solve a different problem without my help.
By Bridget Keely
5/5
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