Going around in circles!: around and about a geometric figure

Abstract:: Geometry can be an exercise arena for strengthening those logic muscles that middle school students need to flex. When we work with a geometric figure—a circle, for instance—and apply the ancient tools of compass and straightedge, geometry can become a rich ground for developing design. And a circle has size, so a unit on this topic necessarily brings in the mathematics of its measurement. Circles, then, is a geometric topic that can provide mental challenge, opportunity for artistic development, and connections to both the history of measurement and its everyday applications.
For this unit we have selected online activities that will enable your students to look at circles from these various viewpoints. The activities range from measurement to theorems about the circle to art and symmetry. Many will engage students in solving problems or in creating designs. Others will allow them to investigate the thinking behind the area and circumference formulas, either through virtual simulations or hands-on projects. We hope these activities will add to your repertoire of ways to present the "many-sided" topic of circles.

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