Pi Day Agenda 2005

All Classes

About Pi lecture

       Read Sir Cumference books – one student while eating time

Advanced Math:

       Toothpick drop activity

              In 1777, Count Buffon proposed dropping a needle on lined paper and asking for the probability of the needle crossing a line.  The answer surprisingly is related to pi.  The students make 100 drops of a toothpick (one unit length) onto paper with lines one unit apart.  The students count the number of times that the toothpick crosses the lines – this is a hit.  The ratio of hits to 100 approaches 2 / Œ.  Pi can be approximated by two times the number of drops divided by the number of hits.

       Circle game

Algebra 2:

       Identify circles worksheet

              Given graph of a circle – write equation (x – h)² + (y – k)² = r²

       Circle game

Algebra 1:

       Perfume ad – due next day

              Students are advertisement experts for the Smell So Good perfume company.  A new unisex fragrance called Œ has been developed.  The company wants a magazine ad that will embody the true meaning of Œ and capture the attention of the target audience (ages 16-25).

       Measure circular objects worksheet

              Students are given several circular objects and asked to measure the diameter and circumference using string and a ruler.  The worksheet asks the students to compute the c + d, c – d, c * d, and c / d.  Then the students are asked to note any observations regarding these calculations.

Calculus:

       Circle game

Lanette VonSeggern