Areas, circles and PI!

 

written by Kara Miller, SUNY Potsdam student teacher, Jan - Mar 2005

OBJECT: To cover the most amount of area of a “game board” with a set number of different sized circles

 

Students work in pairs and each pair receives:
Circle templates

            - 24 1” diameter circles

            - 12 2” diameter circles

            - 10 3” diameter circles

            - 8  4” diameter circles

            - 6  5” diameter circles

            - 4  6” diameter circles

* Each sized circle is copied onto a different color*

-           A 12” x 12” “game board” (something sturdy like cardstock)

-           Scissors

-           Tape or glue

-           Ruler

 

Students work together in pairs, moving their circles around and trying different combinations to find a combination of different sized circles that cover the most area of their game board. Once they are satisfied with the arrangement, student will tape or glue the circles to the game board. Students are now to find the area of the game board which is NOT covered by circles. Students do so by measuring the diameter of each sized circle, finding the radius and using the formula A = πr2. They subtract the area of the circles from the original area of the game board. The student who has the smallest area wins a prize.

 

*Use colorful game boards and circles. Students make great patterns and the game boards are a nice display when all students are finished. *