For this scimatics project, we had to choose an object, and using a program called Tinkercad, create a model of the chosen object, but optimize it for maximum surface area or max volume.
My partner for this project was Susan. We chose to make a house with maximum surface area Here is our house:
We had to have 10 different shapes.
These are the shapes we used:
- Cylinder
- Triangular prism
- Rectangular prism
- Cube
- Hexagonal prism
- Octahedron
- Cone
- Dodecahedron
- Pentagonal prism
- Sphere
Once we had put together our house, I found all the formulas for calculating the surface area and volume of each shape. Here they are:
Here are my final calculations:
The Curricular Competencies
Applying and innovating: Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through personal or collaborative approaches.
-All class time is used efficiently for learning without distractions.
I think I could have focused more, and got more work done in class. If I did that, I wouldn’t have had to finish the work at home. Near the end of the project though, I was a bit more focused, and got more work done in class.
Reasoning and Analyzing: Model mathematics in contextualized experiences
-A 3D object is designed using TinkerCad or other design software. The design is optimized for either maximum volume or maximum surface area. The design should include at least 10 basic 3D shapes (A model should also be built cooperatively for groups of 2 or 3)
I did design a 3D object in Tinkercad. I could have made it look a bit nicer and not like I just threw a bunch of shapes together, but it still had more surface area than volume, which we designed it for. It also had 10 different shapes.
Communicating and Representing: Explain and justify mathematical ideas and decisions
-The surface area and volume are measured, calculated, and compared for efficiency. These factors are explained in detail in a keynote presentation to the class.
I did measure all the shapes, calculate the surface area and volume for each, and made a ratio to compare them. Susan and I put the keynote presentation together, and I think the layout was nice and we had all the necessary information. The only problem was that the ratio was backwards in the presentation.
Thanks for reading my latest post for scimatics!
Have a good day