Activity Overview
Students determine the area and perimeter of regular polygons and use that information to conduct a beginning investigation of limits.
This Activity comes from SIMMS Integrated Mathematics Level 2, © Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Before the Activity
Print the AreaPerimeterExtension.SE.pdf file for each student.
Print a teacher copy of the AreaPerimeterExtension.TE.pdf file, as it provides sample answers to the questions posed.
During the Activity
In the Exploration, students will use the TI-89 calculator and The Geometer's Sketchpad® App to determine the area and perimeter of a number of regular polygons.
In the Discussion, students will investigate the idea of a limit by examining what happens to the shape, area, and perimeter of a set of regular polygons as the number of sides increases.
The Exploration can be done individually or in pairs. The Discussion can be done individually, in small groups, or assigned as homework.
A whole class discussion of student responses is helpful to ensure students fully understand the mathematics involved.
After the Activity
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary