Comments on: Estimating Pi http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/2010/07/estimating-pi/ Thoughts on math education and related tidbits Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:38:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mathmom http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/2010/07/estimating-pi/comment-page-1/#comment-1950 mathmom Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:18:49 +0000 http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/?p=659#comment-1950 Thanks, that does sound like a good way. :) Thanks, that does sound like a good way. :)

]]> By: admin http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/2010/07/estimating-pi/comment-page-1/#comment-1949 admin Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:59:34 +0000 http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/?p=659#comment-1949 Hi mathmom, finding the diameter of a circle can be done by <a href="http://www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/Geometry/RadiusByPaperFolding.shtml#solution" rel="nofollow">paperfolding</a>. The simplest way is to place the circular object at the edge of a rectangular piece of paper. In this position the circle should appear just touching the edge from inside the rectangle. Next bend the opposite edge of the paper so as to touch the circle from the "other end". This requires that your fold be perpendicular to the remaining sides of the rectangle. Just slide the paper along those sides. When the fold is completed, you have a piece of paper divided into two rectangular parts, with two pairs of equal sides. The difference between the other sides is the diameter of the circle. I would let several kids measure the same object, as described, and then calculate the average. Hi mathmom,

finding the diameter of a circle can be done by paperfolding. The simplest way is to place the circular object at the edge of a rectangular piece of paper. In this position the circle should appear just touching the edge from inside the rectangle. Next bend the opposite edge of the paper so as to touch the circle from the "other end". This requires that your fold be perpendicular to the remaining sides of the rectangle. Just slide the paper along those sides. When the fold is completed, you have a piece of paper divided into two rectangular parts, with two pairs of equal sides. The difference between the other sides is the diameter of the circle.

I would let several kids measure the same object, as described, and then calculate the average.

]]> By: mathmom http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/2010/07/estimating-pi/comment-page-1/#comment-1948 mathmom Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:01:07 +0000 http://www.mathteacherctk.com/blog/?p=659#comment-1948 I wonder if you have suggestions for accurate measurement of the diameter, which is also not trivial for children to measure, due to the need to figure out where the largest chord is. I wonder if you have suggestions for accurate measurement of the diameter, which is also not trivial for children to measure, due to the need to figure out where the largest chord is.

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