Ralph Davis

Technology Lesson

Necessary Materials: Ti-89 or Ti-92 for all students, an overhead screen that will allow the students to
see what the teacher is doing on their calculator.

Objectives: Students will understand how to approximate pi using the method of exhaustion.
The students will understand how to inscribe and circumscribe polygons in and around a circle.
Students will understand the relationship of pi to the circumference of a circle.

Introduction:

The teacher asks the students “ What does it mean to circumscribe something?”
“ What does is mean to inscribe something?”
“ What is a regular polygon?”
“ As the number of sides of a regular polygon increases, what
shape does the polygon resemble?”

Calculator interface:
The teacher asks the students to locate the “APPS” button on their calculator.

The students will select the Geometry tab and open a new file.

The teacher will show the students how to create a regular triangle of any size.

The students will then create a midpoint of one of the sides.

The students will create a circle centered and the same point as the triangle. They will expand
the circle so that the radius will end at the midpoint of one of the sides.

The students will create a different triangle that is centered at the same point as the first, and
will extend the vertex to a point on the circle.

The students will then use the F6 tab and will measure the perimeter of the two triangles.
They will also measure the diameter of the circle.

The students will record the data that they found on a piece of paper, making note which is the
inscribed triangle and which is circumscribed. They will also note that they were
triangles.

The teacher will lead the students through the same process for polygons with 4, 5, and 6 sides.

The students should divide the perimeter of each shape by the diameter of the respective
circle. They should then record the numbers on a chart with one column having the
number of sides, one with the perimeter of the inscribed polygon divided by the
diameter of the circle, and one with the perimeter of the circumscribed polygon divided
by the diameter of the circle.

The class should discuss what the numbers are converging to.
 The class should be able to derive a formula for the perimeter of a regular polygon that is
inscribed in a circle of radius 1, based on the number of sides. The class should also be
able to derive a formula for the perimeter of a polygon that is circumscribed around a
circle of radius 1 based on the number of sides.

The class should then enter the formulas into the “y=” window of the calculator and then graph
the formulas.

The class should discuss what the two lines are converging to. By using the trace button, we
can determine how long it will take for this method to approximate pi accurately.

The teacher will lead a discussion with the class that should culminate with the class relating the
formula for the circumference of a circle to the polygon becoming more and more like a
circle as the number of sides increase.

Mini experiment:

The students may use their calculators to help with the calculations.
The students will cut out 3 regular polygons with apothem .5.
The Students will cut out 3 regular polygons that correspond to the first 3 shapes these shapes will have
a distance from vertex to center of .5.

The students will approximate pi based on the perimeter of the polygons.

The students will explain why the perimeters are approaching pi.

They will fill out a chart and turn it into the teacher.

Rubric:

Students find the correct perimeter of the polygons. 1 point each

Students are able to explain why the perimeters are approaching pi. 2 points.