Weekly Questions
Your weekly questions will be posted here as they are presented in
class.
August 31: In our beginning work with geometry you will notice
that one major challenge in discussing geometry is the need of a large
vocabulary. Write definitions in your own words
for any important terms that we have used so far in geometry.
(This question, unlike the others, will develop as the semester
continues. Start based on what we have done in the first week,
then add to it as the semester unfolds. When you hand it in the
first time, it should include all the important terms up to that point, and when it becomes part of your final project, it should be a comprehensive vocabulary guide for all of geometry. This will be a major component of your final project.) [This list is too long, and maybe is missing some things, but might give you ideas. Please do not include terms on the list that we don't use in class, and please do not copy this outrageously long question into your weekly questions.]
September 7: Describe a systematic procedure for seeking
different shapes and geometric objects found inside a
figure. Connect it back to class activities and discuss how
this procedure can be applied to the world in which we live.
Comment on how personal variation still plays a role.
September 14: Explain and discuss justifications for relationships of angles among pattern blocks.
September 21: Discuss sums of angles for polygons. Include justification not merely results.
September 28: What sets of three angle/side measurements of a
triangle ensure congruence? Which sets of three measurements do
not ensure congruence? Show why your statements are
true. What can you say about two measurements?
October 5: Give life experience examples that are reminiscent of
the following transformations: translations, rotations, and
reflections. Explain how each experience has the properties
of the given transformation.
October 12: Discuss the possible effects of two succesive
reflections. Include parallel lines, perpendicular lines, and
other intersecting lines.
October 19: Describe three tests for similarity of triangles.
Express them in precise language. Include examples of each,
and some ideas for justifications of each. Also discuss the
reasons that there is no ASA test for similar triangles.
October 26: Discuss π. What does it mean? Why is
it constant? Justify its use in formulas for circumference and
area.
November 2: Explain and justify area formulas for rectangles, parallelograms and triangles.
November 9: Add in trapezoids to the above. Basically doing what you did and we discussed from your group exam.
November 16: We see numbers in news all the time. These
numbers convey meaning and context. Find an example of numbers in
a report of some kind and discuss the process of interpreting those
numbers. This should parallel our interpretative discussions
regarding the causes for the numbers in activity 7.1.
November 21: Discuss similarities and differences of the three
different averages: mean, median and mode. Include examples
where each would be considered "the average".
November 30: Explain the difference between experiemental and theoretical probability. Include examples.