Your textbook has many, many problems on finding the measurements of a circle, so I looked for problems that are off the beaten track. The result is an unusual set of applications to the circle, therefore challenging but intriguing, I think, for middle school classes. Let your colleagues know of your own ideas and comments on this topic. Just add a note below.
Discovering the Value of Pi
Students measure the diameter and circumference of several circles, using a handy applet, record their data and reach conclusions about the ratio of circumference to diameter. A genuine guided exploration!
Windshield Wipers: It’s Raining! Who Sees More? The Driver of the Car or the Truck?
In this activity, students compare the areas cleaned by different wiper designs. An animation shows the movement of the two windshield wipers, each cleaning off a different geometric shape on the window. Students are encouraged to draw the shape cleaned by each wiper and find its area.
The Great Circle
By clicking on two cities on a world globe, students see two line segments connecting the cities, one showing the great circle route (the shortest) and the other showing the route on a flat map. An interesting and visual application of real-world math.
Three Piece Circle Puzzle
Students create the puzzle themselves, using compasses, and are challenged to find the area of each of the three pieces. You will need to guide your eighth- and ninth-grade students through the given solution.
We Want Your Feedback
We want and need your ideas, suggestions, and observations. What would you like to know more about? What questions have your students asked? We invite you to share with us and other readers by posting your comments. Please check back often for our newest posts or download the RSS feed for this blog. Let us know what you think and tell us how we can serve you better. We appreciate your feedback on all of our Middle School Portal 2 publications. You can also email us at msp@msteacher.org. Post updated 4/05/2012.