Geometry: The Creative Side of Maths
This week in our series about the maths topics we are looking at geometry and measure, or in layman’s terms ‘shapes’.
I love this topic because it links with art, DT and other creative subjects, and then we link maths into it.
Thinking about the different learning styles, this is a good topic for visual learners as they can draw things out and calculate visually.
Shapes
Do you know the difference between polygon and polyhedron? Words ending in ‘gon’ are flat 2D shapes, and ‘hedron’ are 3D shapes. Then thinking about the prefixes, you can work out the number of sides of shapes.
These kinds of regular shapes are great for making patterns. In my 12 Mathematical Days of Christmas e-book, we use shapes to make our own wrapping paper. It doesn’t have to be Christmas-themed either – you could do this for any occasion.
Measurements
How well do you know all the different units there are, and converting between them? There are lots of ways to help with this. For metric units it’s helpful to learn the prefixes for example ‘centi’ means divide into 100s, and ‘kilo’ means multiply by 1000.
Area and Volume
This is a topic that can cause lots of confusion. The main thing to remember is that area is the space a 2D shape takes up and volume is the amount of space a 3D shape takes up.
Surface area is finding the area on a 3D shape, or the area of it’s net, useful for painting a shape.
Angles
Did you know that the reason we have 360 degrees in a full turn is because the Babylonians worked in base 60 (we work in base 10), so they worked in multiples of 60? To become good at angles learn the multiples and factor pairs of 360, also useful when doing pie charts.
Using a protractor is a skill that needs practice and care. In the GCSE exam the accuracy of measurements have to be to 2 degrees.
Constructions and Loci
Using a compass for constructions is a skill that can be really challenging for some. I have a tried and tested method that can help. View my video to see it.
Again accuracy is really important with constructions, so make sure your compasses are tightened and your pencil is sharpened.
Transformations
I loved Transformers as a kid! One thing transforming into something else. Well that’s transformations. It either transforms (changes) the position or the size.
Reflection, rotation, enlargement and translation are the 4 types of transformation. Really important when thinking about how to revise effectively for the maths GCSE, is to include transformations on axes and to consider enlargements that get smaller or have a negative scale factor.
Triangles
I’m leaving triangles until the end, as they could come in some of the other topics, but there are some special properties we can use. Triangles are important because they are the strongest shape and used in the building trade. Pythagoras’ Theorem is a rule for right-angled triangles to find the lengths, named after an ancient Greek mathematician. Trigonometry also involves right-angled triangles but includes the angles too, it’s all about the ratio of the sides in right-angled triangles.