FORMING AN ELLIPSE WITH CIRCLES
by Rica EstradaI. Objectives: 1.) To be able to learn more about conics, most especially an ellipse.
2.) To know how to form an ellipse using other conics, specifically, circles.
3.) To practice being creative and innovative; look for other ways to
solve a problem. II. Description: Basically, the activity is all about forming a perfect ellipse. You use these circles with wires on the to form the ellipse. The box wherein you insert the illustration board with the circles, also have wires in certain spots where it is connected to a light bulb and 2 batteries inside the box. And through the circuit, the bulb will light when the person has connected the wires of his circles with the wires of the ellipse on the box. When the bulb lights, he has already made the perfect ellipse, which is the goal of the activity. III. Materials: 4 Cellophane ( 4 different colors)
glue
illustration board tape
light bulb batteries (2)
socket compass
8 wires
scissors
ruler
acetate IV. Procedure: A. MAKING OF THE BOX
Using the illustration board, cut 2 15" x 5" boards and 1
10" x 15" boards. Glue this 3 together on a bottom board with measurements of 15" x 10". For the top cover, make a board with measurements of 15" x 10" but it should have an open or cut an ellipse in the middle with a radius of 2.1" by 1.5" . (Don�t glue this first with the rest of the box. You still have to put the light bulb and the batteries inside the box later).
Cut small squares using the illustration board. Paste
these squares on the 4 corners on top of the box. Make
sure that the space created by the squares is wide enough or that there is enough space for an illustration board to be inserted.
Again, make another board with measurements of 15" x 10". Place a border about an inch wide. Cut out the inside of the border. It should look like a frame, open in the inside. ( Place this cover later after you�ve put everything, batteries and bulb, inside the box).
Cut an acetate with measurements of 10" by 5" and glue
it to the open side of the box. B. MAKING OF THE CIRCLES
Make 2 small circles with radius of 1.4" using the cellophane (2 different colors). Paste this on an illustration board, also shaped like a circle with handles. On 1 circle, put a wire around the left curve. And on the other on, put a wire on the right curve.
Make 2 big circles with radius of 2.8" using the 2 other cellophanes (different colors). You paste this on illustration board shaped too like a circle with a handle. And on 1 big circle, place a wire in the middle of that circle along the rim of the other big circle. On the 2nd big curve, you place the wire on that circle along the rim of the ist circle. C. PREPARING THE BATTERIES AND LIGTH BULB
Place the light bulb and 2 batteries inside the box you made earlier. You will be making a circuit. Put one end of a wire on the positive side of the light bulb and connect it to the left curve of the ellipse of the board you made earlier. Get another wire and put it on the negative side of the bulb and the other end to the lower curve of the ellipse. Get a 3rd wire and put it in the negative side of the battery and connect it, again to the lower curve of the ellipse but with a little distance or space from the other wire in the same area. Get the 4th wire and place it on the positive side of the other battery and connect it to the right curve of the ellipse.
After fixing the circuit. Cover the box with the top with the ellipse-shaped opening. And paste too the other covering, the one like a frame on the 4 small squares. D. DOING THE ACTIVITY
Get the 4 illustration boards with cellophanes. Insert it through the space provided by the small squares between the frame-like cover and the real cover with an open ellipse on top. You fix and rotate all the 4 circles until you are able to form a perfect ellipse. The bulb will light if you have achieved the objective and created a perfect ellipse using the 4 circles. V. Applications/Uses: - Through the activity, we are able to learn how to make an ellipse using another conic, which is the circle. We see the process of making a perfect ellipse without using other materials or measuring it with the use of a compass, ruler, etc.
- It also teaches us to look for other ideas, other solutions in answering a problem. Like in the activity, we had to think of ways or positions to make the bulb light.
- It helped us be determined, innovative and creative. In life, we have to always look for alternative ways in doing things because not all the solutions are given to us. For, example in architecture, we have to look at all the views and possible ways to do something. We have to be imaginative. VI. References We actually did not get the activity from any book. A friend of ours, Martin Recto, actually helped us with the idea. He helped us put all the ideas together and the activity. The technical drawing of the ellipse was taken from the book "Technical Drawing".  print
========= << previous | next >> << back to projects << back to main | 