Mathematics TfU Project

This morning, I went to school feeling both excited and nervous. It had been agreed that three of my friends, Nicholas, Anmol and Sean, would come over to my house later in the afternoon to work on a Mathematics TfU (Teaching for Understanding) project. This was the first time they were coming over to my house and I did not know what to expect as all previous projects were done at their homes. I had to play host and no one was at home! 

The aim of the project was to find the diameter of the school crest. We decided to work on the project without further delay as the task was difficult and we really needed to have a brainstorming session. Also, we did not really have much time since the deadline for the project is only a few days away on the second of February. Added to that there is a long break coming up. We chose to do the project at my house as I live the nearest to school and hence we need not waste time unnecessarily.

After school, we were lucky to catch the bus very quickly, arriving at my house in less than twenty minutes. We brought along all the materials needed, including a display board (as shown in the pictures), penknives, a calculator and a pack of coloured paper. 

The weather was really hot and all of us were perspiring profusely from the walk to my house. We had some refreshments and I showed my friends around the house, especially my room as this was their first visit and they were naturally curious. 

Then it was time for some serious work. Firstly, we outlined two methods to find the diameter of the crest. This was very difficult as the crest was positioned high up on the wall and there was no way to measure it with a measuring tape. Next, we listed the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Some time was spent trying to agree on which was the better method. Following that, we started to calculate the diameter of the school crest using the chosen method. It was complicated but we managed to obtain the answer in the end. What a relief that was for all of us as by then we were all getting rather tired, having had a long day at school. Finally, we printed out all of the work we had done. We cut them into paragraphs using penknives as none of us had a pair of scissors. We then pasted them on the display board.

We cleared up all the mess before I saw my friends off. Having overcome this difficulty, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and was really happy with the fruits of our labour. I enjoyed myself very much during the course of the project. Thankfully, we managed to finish the project, or else we might have had to meet up again on the third day of Chinese New Year to complete the project, which was the last thing we wanted.