A very clever Porter Ridge Middle School teacher used an apple pie to help her students calculate PI in math class , in honor of the annual March 14 PI Day .
Using delicious foods as part of math equations definitely wasn ’ t a problem for Tamala Vote ’ s seventh-grade students .
“ We just learned about finding the circumference and the diameter of a circle by using a donut ,” said seventh grader Hillarie Innocent . “ It ’ s awesome having food as part of the lesson . I ’ m going to have a sugar rush later .”
Why incorporate food into her lesson ? “ When they ’ re doing something fun , they have a tendency to remember ,” Vote said . “ I ’ ve always found that when you use a hands-on activity , they ’ ll remember that come test or EOG time . I ’ m just trying to make it fun .” In honor of Pi Day , Vote allowed her students to bring in circular foods such as cookies , donuts and pies because the concept of Pi ( π ), the ratio of a circle ’ s circumference to its diameter , is important in the math world .
Pi is a constant number , meaning that for all circles of any size , Pi will be the same . The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is approximately 3.14159 , which is why March 14 ( 3-14 ) is Pi Day .
“ We are trying to find the area and the unit rate of Pi ,” said
PRMS students think Pi Day is ‘ Sweet !’
Porter Ridge Middle School seventh grader Hillarie Innocent measures the circumference and the diameter of a donut .
seventh grader Emily Boudle . “ I think it ’ s easy but it may be difficult for some people . In the seventh grade , math has gotten a lot easier . I enjoy math . I will probably be a software engineer .”
Vote wants her students to learn the meaning of diameter and radius . “ They also need to know how to find the area of a circle . They need to know how to find the circumference of a circle .”
The diameter of a circle is the distance from edge to edge , measuring straight through the center . The circumference of a circle is the distance around .
Donuts , she said , work really well because of the circle within the circle , giving students an opportunity to work with a complex figure .
Students were also challenged with a more complex math equation . Given a menu from a local pizza restaurant , students had to figure out the unit rate of three different sizes of pizza ; small , large and extra large . They then figured out which unit rate was a better buy based on the diameter of the pizza .
“ The formulas might sound difficult , but if you study it and keep on doing the same formula over and over again , you ’ ll get used to it ,” said seventh grader Harrison Tran .
— This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communications Office .
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8 • May / June 2017 • Parent Teacher Magazine