Sunshine State Standard

MA.B.1.3.3

Materials

An assortment of textbooks An assortment of student folders Index Cards Masking Tape

What to do

1) Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. 2) Each group needs to send one member to the front of the room to gather 6 index cards and a 12-inch piece of masking tape. 3) Each group is to construct 3 columns (cylinders). Each column is made from 2 of the index cards. The 3 columns will be a rectangular column, a triangular column, and a circular column. To form the circular column, hold index cards vertically and tape the two cards together. Pull the exterior sides together, and tape again. To make the triangular column, take two of the index cards and fold each as follows: Hold one index card at a time vertically. Fold the right hand side in about 1/3 of the width of the card. Bring the left side of the card over to match the fold on the right hand side. Do the same with the second index card. Slide the two index cards into each other so that the top and bottom of the column form a triangle.Tape cards together in this position. 4) To make the rectangular column, fold the remaining 2 index cards just as you did for the triangular column. This time, place these 2 cards into each other so that the top and bottom of the column look like rectangles, or squares. Tape cards together in this position. 5) Have students find the volume of each of the three columns. 6) Have students decide which of the three columns is the strongest. This will be determined by which of the shapes can support the most weight (the weight being student textbooks and folders). This information is to be recorded. 6) After all groups have completed the activity, facilitate a discussion as to why they feel the results were the way they were.

Additional Information

Students should discover that the circular column can support the most weight and are, therefore, the strongest. This is due to the fact that on the rectangular and triangular columns, all of the weight is bearing down on the corners, 4 and 3 areas respectively. However, on the circular shape, the weight is evenly dispersed around the shape, thus supporting more. This is way ancient Greek columns are circular in nature. This provides for the basis of an interdisciplinary unit.

Submitted by

Courtney L. Elkin

Lee County
Cape Coral, Florida
CourtneyE@lee.k12.fl.us