Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
John Gough — Deakin University — jugh@deakin.edu.au
[Developed for a paper on “Angles” given at the Annual Conference of the Mathematical Association of
Victoria (MAV) at La Trobe University, Bundoora, 12 December 2005.
Published as Gough, J. (2005). Angles: Exploring definitions, conventions, uses and structure in curriculum
and psychology. In J. Mousley (Ed.) Mathematics — Celebrating Achievement: 100. Mathematical
Association of Victoria, Brunswick, CDROM ebook.]
ACTIVITIES
MicroWorlds and Angles
See John Gough — “Mathematics in MicroWorlds: Practising Angle Measurements”,
Prime Number, vol. 20, no.4, pp. 29–31.
The first Logo program in this article uses two turtles.
A blue turtle is placed, as a “target”, randomly near the top of the MicroWorlds window.
Then a red turtle is placed randomly near the bottom of the window.
Instructions are given about typing a RIGHTturn command to AIM the red turtle so it is
heading directly towards the blue turtle’s target POSITION.
The programming then assesses how closely the red turtle has been aimed.
The second Logo example does similar interactive learning work.
It asks the user to make a RIGHTturn that will leave the RED turtle with the same
ORIENTATION or direction as the randomlyturned BLUE turtle.
Handmade Surveying and Mapping
See John Gough “Trigonometry via ‘surveying’ — and actual surveying”, Vinculum vol.
38, no. 4, 2001, pp. 2122.
This handson activity uses a “PlaneTable” as a surveyor’s technique, with TWO
different locations for the table,, and a fixed viewingpoint on the table.
This results in an intersecting set of sightlines that locate distant objects on a sketchmap.
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 2
GAMES For Practising and Learning “Angle”
Draw Me
Equipment: pencils, rulers, paper, protractors, and a numbercard pack (110).
Number of players: 2 or more.
Playing:
Shuffle the number pack, and deal 3 cards face up.
Players choose any two of the cards to make a number, and then use pencil, paper, and
ruler to draw the corresponding angle whose size is the number they chose to make.
Each player must label the direction of rotation, and the size of the angle.
Then players use the protractor to check the accuracy of the drawn angle.
Score:
— 5 points for drawing correctly;
— 2 points for being within 5 degrees of the required size;
— 1 point for being 6 to 10 degrees on either side of the required size.
Variant:
For two players, each player specifies an angle size (between 0 and 360 degrees), and a
direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) and the other player must draw the specified angle.
Give Me Some Latitude
Equipment: a suitable map, wall chart, world map.
Number of players: 2 or more.
Playing:
One player goes He or It. That players secretly chooses a named place on the map.
Other players try to find out the secret placename.
They take turns to alternately ask a longitude question or a latitude question.
The player with the secret can use a ruler, or set of rulers to successively indicate the
narrowing possibilities.
[Note that this is a variant of the game Hunt the City, which itself is a twodimensional,
twonumber mapbased version of Guess My Number: see Gough 2001.]
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 3
Angle Allsorts
Equipment: a number pack of cards, pencils and paper, two standard dice.
Playing:
Players compete to be the first to accumulate a complete set of angletypes.
In each round of play, start by shuffling the numberpack, and dealing 4 cards, facedown,
to each player.
Deal 3 more cards, faceup, in the centre of the table.
Then roll both dice.
The dice results indicate an angletype, as follows:
1 = 360 degree
2 = acute
3 = rightangle: 90 degrees
4 = obtuse
5 = straightangle: 180 degrees
6= reflex
Players then use 1, 2 or 3 of their cards to make a number that is as close as possible to one
of the desired angletypes. Note that, in the case of “acute”, “obtuse”, and “reflex”, players
must also use 1, 2 or 3 of the faceup cards in the centre of the table to make an angle of an
appropriate size for that angle category.
Players declare their desired anglesize.
The ONE player whose declared anglesize is CLOSEST to, or exactly the same as the
desired anglesize WINS one of that angletype, and adds it to his or her list of angle
types.
In the case of a “draw” (for example, where two or more players have made exactly the
same anglesize for one particular angletype, or two or more players have each made an
exact anglesize for two or more different angletypes, or two or more players are equally
close to an exact anglesize) either all players who have drawn are allowed to add the
desired angletype to their collections, OR, the player with the numerically highest fourth
card wins and is allowed to add the desired angletype to his or her collection.
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 4
Set Your Bearings
Equipment: Pencils, paper, rulers, protractors, a number card pack, or 3 standard dice.
Number of Players: 2 or more.
Playing:
Shuffle the card pack, and deal 3 cards faceup; or roll the dice.
These three digits will be used by players to make a number less than 360. (If the card
numbers, or dice outcomes are all too large, deal more cards, or roll one of the dice again,
until a suitably small digit is obtained.)
Each player uses the digits from the cards (or dice) to make a number less than 360.
The player writes that number on his or her piece of paper.
Then the player marks an X on the paper, to show the “START”.
The player then rules a line, adds and arrowhead, and labels it NORTH.
The player then uses the ruler to draw a line, beginning at the START, with an arrow head
at the other end, heading in the direction of the compassbearing indicated by the number
less than 360.
Players then exchange their papers, and use the protractor to measure the accuracy of the
drawn compassbearings.
Scoring:
— 5 for exactly correct;
— 3 for ±5 degrees;
— 1 for 6 to 10 degrees on either side of the exact bearing;
and if there is a score for the bearing, add a bonus of 5 if the bearing is greater than 180
degrees.
Clock Angles
Equipment: a standard 52card pack, with ROYAL cards = 0. (Younger players may benefit
from having a 360degree protractor available, with a specially marked clockface drawn
around the circular numberline of the protractor. However this must be left facedown
during play.)
Number of players: 2 or more.
Playing:
Shuffle the cards and deal 4 cards faceup in the centre of the table.
The four digits are used to make any plausible 4digit digital time. (If necessary discard
any unusable cards, and deal one or more, until this can be done.)
Shuffle the remaining cards, and deal 4 cards facedown to each player.
Players then use their cards as digits (ROYAL cards can be used in sequence to make “00”
for “hundred”) to make a number that is as close as possible to the analog angle of either
the:
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 5
— hourhand; or
— the minutehand
of the 4digit digital target time.
Note that the angle intended is measured clockwise from the 12 around to the hourhand or
minutehand position.
Scoring: the player whose specified angle is closest to one of the analog clockhands
scores 1 point. (In the case of a draw, players who have drawn each score 1 point.) A bonus
of 1 point is added if the angle the player has made is EXACTLY the handangle.
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 6
North Versus South
Equipment: A compass rose, and a rotatable arrow or pointer, and a standard 52card pack
(ROYAL cards represent ZERO). A 360 degree protractor is optional.
Number of players: 2 players.
Playing:
One player is North, and the other is South.
Players use cards to make 1digit or 2digit angles, aiming to rotate the pointer so it ends
up pointing at North, or South.
Shuffle the card pack and deal 4 cards facedown to each player.
The pointer is set, initially, aiming EAST (or WEST).
Players take turns.
In each turn a player chooses and displays 1or 2 of his or her cards.
The pair of cards represent a 1digit or 2digit angle.
The player then turns the pointer through the specified 1digit or 2digit number of
degrees.
The player then ends his or her turn by drawing, facedown, 2 more cards.
If no one has won when all the cards have been used, they are collected, shuffled, and play
resumes.
The first player to correctly leave the pointer aimed at his or her direction wins the game.
Variant:
RED cards are used to make ANTICLOCKWISE turns, and BLACK cards make
CLOCKWISE turns. (Otherwise, players may choose to turn clockwise or anticlockwise,
as they prefer.)
Angles — Games for Exploration — John Gough page 7
Compass Parallels and Perpendiculars
Equipment: A standard 52card pack (ROYALS = 0), and pencils and paper. A compass
rose, and a rotatable arrow or pointer, and a 360 degree protractor are optional.
Number of Players: 2 or more.
Playing:
Shuffle the card pack, and deal 3 cards faceup, in order, to make a 3digit compass target
bearing. (If necessary, deal further cards, faceup, until this is possible. Discard any cards
that cannot be used appropriately. If necessary, to speed up the preparation, players may
negotiate to agree on a suitable 3digit number by rearranging the dealt order of cards.)
Players aim to be the first to collect a complete set of:
— A: a compass bearing parallel to the targetbearing;
— B: the reciprocal bearing (parallel, but in the opposite direction);
— C: a compass bearing that is the clockwise (righthand turn) perpendicular to the target
bearing; and
— D: a compass bearing that is the anticlockwise (lefthand turn) perpendicular to the
targetbearing.
Deal 4 cards facedown to each player.
Players choose and display up to 3 of their cards to make a compassbearing that is as
close as possible to the bearings A, B, C or D, as specified by the targetbearing, and
according to the typecategory (A, B, C, or D) the player still needs.
The player whose chosen cards are closest to one of the desired categories is allowed to
add that category to his or her collection.
In the case of a draw, all players who have drawn are allowed to add the desired category
their cards were equally close to.
All cards are then collected, shuffled, and a fresh round of play proceeds.
Play continues until one player succeeds in collecting all 4 categories, A, B, C and D.
(Note that different players may collect different categories for different targetbearings. It
is sensible for players to record, for each category collected, the category itself, the target
bearing in play during that round, and the player’s chosen cards whose bearing was closest
to the targetbearing.)
References
Gough, J. (2001). Mathematics Games That Really Teach Mathematics:
Learning to Play — Playing to Learn. Mathematical Association of Victoria [MAV],
Brunswick.