Boss wants me to program

[John Machin]

Thomas Bartkus wrote:
> "phil" <phillip.watts at anvilcom.com> wrote in message
> news:mailman.1070.1120060456.10512.python-list at python.org...
> 
>>>About teaching in the exact sciences: I think we need a more hands-on
>>>applied approach, to some extent this holds for the entire school
>>>system.
>>
>>YES! As a geometry(& trig) teacher, I am going to have them build a
>>shed, a kite, a sundial. I would love some doable ideas for hands
>>on which would teach more principles without being major
>>construction projects.
>>
> 
> Wow! How about a sextant?
> Simple device really. And a great practical demonstration of trigonometry.
> 
> It would be helpful of if your class was near the seashore. You would want a
> clear shot at the horizon.
> Thomas Bartkus
> 
> 

1. Even simpler device: an alidade is not a major construction project 
-- 2 nails and a piece of  planed pine timber will do the job.

If you want to venture into eat-your-heart-out territory, check out 
http://www.geometricum.com/Pic_of_Month_022004.htm

Meanwhile, back in the real world, armed with an alidade and a home-made 
plane table, the kids can get some fresh air and make a map of the 
school grounds or a local park.

And, as a different part of their education, you could suggest they 
research where English got all those interesting al- words from.

2. Lengths of twine with knots at strategic intervals e.g. (3,4,5), (5, 
12, 13) will do for laying out rectangular fields (+ practical lesson -- 
which of these is less susceptible to error?); add a plumb-bob and
you're building houses.

3. Another exercise involving fresh air, theory, and an understanding of 
the effect of errors of measurement: surveyor's traverse of the 
boundaries of the school grounds or the park, using a prismatic compass 
for the angles and their own paces [don't forget to ask them to research 
"mille passum"] or a pace-stick or a rod or a chain for the distance. 
Obligatory reference to newsgroup-related topic: possibly a Python 
script to do all those boring delta_x = paces * cos(delta_theta) etc 
calcs -- *after* they've done it manually of course. If they get a sign 
wrong and produce an endpoint that's in the next suburb, they might 
learn something and not go on to write aviation software that makes the 
aircraft flip upside down when it crosses the equator.

Cheers,
John