Take Home Mathematics Kit

Exploring Geometry

…….making a beginning

User Manual

NCERT Workshop Department

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 Take home kit

Geometry

Will help children explore

- Angles – various types of angles and their measurement.

- Constructing of triangles, the relationship between angles and sides, various
properties of triangles and the concurrency of bisectors of angles and sides.
- Properties and relationships between angles formed by two parallel lines and a
transversal.
- Constructing of a quadrilaterals and special types of quadrilaterals like rectangle,
square etc., their properties related to – Diagonals, angles and sides, etc.

List of Materials

1. Plastic Strips (six in number)

2. 3600 protractor (one)
3. 1800 protractor (4 in no.)
4. Snapfit screws/rivets (10 in no.) Fly Nit with screw
5. Elastic Bands ( 3 sets of varying length of 3 bands with eye on each end)
6. A right angled triangle with sides (3, 4, 5 cm. and 30 unit sq.)
7. Packing box

S.No List of activities Material used

1. Exploring types of angles 2 plastic strips, 3600 protractor,
connecting screws
2. Exploring angles in intersecting lines Plastic strips, connecting screws

3. Introducing parallel and intersecting lines Plastic strips and screws

4. Parallel lines and a transversal Plastic strips, connecting screws

and a protractor

5 Exploring triangles (part I and part II) Plastic strips, connecting screws,
elastic bands and protractor
6 Exploring the properties of a triangle Plastic strips with fly nut with

1

7 Equilateral and Isosceles triangle
8 Pythagoras property
9 Quadrilaterals
screws
Plastic strips, fly nut with screws
and 3 protractors
A triangle of sides 3cm, 4cm and
5cm. and 30 square units
4 Plastic strips, fly nut with
screws, 4 protractors and 2 elastic
bands

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 I

Exploring types of angles:

Material required – two plastic strips, 3600 protractor, and connecting fly nuts with
screws.

Making a beginning:

 Join two strips with the help of fly nut & screw and put one protractor
 Make a right angle and observe its measurement
 Make an acute angle and obtuse angle. Note their measurements
Measurement of Right angles ___________degrees
Acute angle is _________degrees
Measurement of obtuse angle is _________degrees.

Now you are all set to explore

Let us explore

 What is the minimum and maximum measurement, an acute angle can have?
 What is the range of measurement of an obtuse angle?
 Make an angle with a measurement of 5 0 or less. Note its measurement. Observe
its shape and find out where such acute angles are used in our daily life.
 Make an obtuse angle. Trace the angle with your fingers. Observe its shape.
Look around in your environment. Where do you find such obtuse angles being
used?
 Make a 900 angle with the two plastic strips. What is such an angle known as?
Observe and find where such an angle is used in objects around us.
 Carefully observe the angle made by the base of a building with ground what is
the measure of this angle what will happen if a building stands at an obtuse angle
with the ground?
 Look at the circular protractor in your kit and identify these angles and their types

600 = ____________ angle

900 = ____________ angle
1790 = ____________ angle
890 = ____________ angle
910 = ____________ angle

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 00 = ____________ angle

What do you think is 1810, 2700, 3100 or 3590?

Such angles are known as reflex angles

……. Let us explore now angles in pairs

Fix two strips along with a 3600 protractor with the help of fly nut & screws

(i) Rotate and try making following angles

 One complete angle

 Zero angle
 A reflex angle

(ii) Find the range of reflex angles by rotating the two strips

 Fix two strips as shown. Note the measure of two angles formed and find
their sum.
What are such angles called?

Explore and find out the following –

(i) If one angle is acute what is the measure of other angle? (Hint –
acute/obtuse/reflex)
(ii) Under what arrangement of these strips will both the angles be same?
What is this measure?

 Think of few real life examples where you have seen a linear pair like
a pen stand.
 Can two acute angles or two obtuse angles form a linear pair? Explore
the possibility by using the plastic strips.

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  I have a table at my home of the shape shown in the figure

- Can you identify the angles which are forming a linear pair with <1.
- With all these four angles, how many linear pairs can you form?
- What do you think is the relation between <1 and <3?
- Is <1 and <3 forming a linear pair?

Such angles are known as vertically opposite angles (V.O.A.)

 Take two plastic strips and arrange them in a cross form. Fix a protractor on the
screw used at intersection point.
 Measure the vertically opposite angles.
 What do you observe?

Summing up:

Now, you’ll find easy to pen down your understanding –

 For a linear pair _____ no. of angles are required and the sum of them is _____.
 Vertically opposite angles are obtained when two lines _________ and the
measure of V.O.A. is _______.

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 II

Take Home Kit – Geometry

Exploring Angles in Intersecting lines

Objective: To enable students discover the in the number of angles created in intersecting
lines.

Material required: Plastic strips, fly nuts & Screws

Let us make a beginning ………..

1. Take 2 plastic strips from your kit and place them on a flat surface in such a
way that they cut each other (or ___ each other). This point where they cut
each other is known as _______.

Ques: In how many points do you think, these two strips will cut each other?

Ques: Can you count all the angles formed around the point where these two
lines (our plastic strips) cut each other (or intersect each other)!!

Exploring further ……..

2. Now take 2 plastic strips again and keep them on a flat surface. Place a 3 rd
plastic strip in such a way that in intersects the 2 previous plastic strips at two
different points (i.e. you have placed a transversal on two different lines).

Ques: How many points of intersection have you got?

Ques: Can you count the no. of angles formed on this transversal!!

3. Repeat this process when we have 3 plastic strips with a transversal, 4 plastic
strips with a transversal and so on.

Ques: Are you able to observe the pattern in the no. of angles that we obtain
on the transversal as we are changing the no. of plastic strips used with this
transversal?

Ques: Without actually performing, can you find how many angles are
obtained on a transversal when it intersects 6 different lines at 6 distinct
points?

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 III

Introducing Parallel and Intersecting Lines

Objective: To enable the students explore parallel and intersecting lines through hands
on experience.

Material required: Plastic strips and screws

Making a beginning:……………

Draw two lines on a piece of paper along the opposite edges of your plastic scale.

Ques: Can you find the distance between these two lines?

Ques: How will you find the shortest distance between them?

Ques: Is this distance the shortest distance between them, same everywhere?

If you are able to find answers to all these questions then the stage is set for
our exploration…

Let us explore further:……………………..

 Take two plastic strips and place them on a flat surface (not too far apart).
 Take more plastic strips and join them edge to edge with the two previously kept
plastic strips.

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Ques: What do you observe now?

Try to explore why these two lines were able to meet (or seen to meet)!
If they will not meet, then find out the shortest distance between them.

Summing up:

Now, you are in a position to tell that such lines which do not meet even if extended are
known as ____ , and the lines which meet at a point (may be when extended) are known
as _______.

Ques: Think and tell that in the construction of a house where is the use of these pair of
lines?
(Parallel lines and intersecting lines)

Ques: Will the vehicle be able to move easily if its opposite wheels are not parallel to
each other?

Ques: If I want to hang a picture on the top of my door, what should I do to make sure
that the picture us not tilted?

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 IV

Parallel lines and a Transversal

Objective: To enable the students explore the properties of angles made when two
parallel lines are intersected by a transversal.

Material required: Plastic strips, connecting screws and a protractor.

Making a beginning……….

Let us see if you are set for exploration!

Ques: Think of some real life examples where you have seen a pair of lines being
intersected by a transversal.

Ques: How many transversals can you make for a pair of lines?

Ques: A line can be transversal to how many lines?

Ques: How many pair of corresponding angles, alternate angles and vertically opposite
angles do we get along the transversal (with a pair of lines)?

Let us explore:

If you are able to answer all these questions, you are all set for exploring more into the
world of parallel lines and the transversal ….

1. Place two plastic strips on a flat surface and fix a transversal (with plastic
strip) on them.

Ques: How many angles are you getting on the transversal?

Ques: Which type of angles are these?

2. Now pick up any angle of your choice and measure it. Let us call it as <1.

Measure of <1 = ________

3. Out of the rest of the angles can you identify its corresponding angle. Call it
as <2.

Measure of <2 = __________

4. Is <1 = <2 ?

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 If no then try to make <1 & <2 equal in measure by moving the strips around
the screws.

5. Now you have arrived at a situation where you made the two corresponding
angles equal

Ques: What do you observe about the given pair of lines? What will happen
if these lines are extended?

Ques: What is the relation in the corresponding angles formed by given pair
of lines with a transversal?

Do a related exercise now….

Make a pair of parallel lines with a transversal.

Measure its corresponding angles. Are they equal?

Try and do an additional exercise.

 Place two thin sticks parallel to each other and place a third one across them as
shown.
 Now cut the figure at the middle & place one piece over the other. Are all the
angles matching?

How can you summarize the above discussion?

If the lines are parallel then _______

If corresponding angles are equal then lines are _______.

Time for more challenging questions!

Ques: What is the measure of the two alternate interior angles in case of parallel lines
and intersecting lines? Are they same or different? Try to explore with your plastic strips!

Ques: If the pair of parallel plastic strips attached with a transversal are made intersecting
strips then what changes do you observe in the pair of corresponding angles?

Ques: Can you identify the pair of vertically opposite angles on the transversal with the
given pair of lines? When are vertically opposite angles equal or not equal?

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Ques: Try to find all the marked angles in the given figure……

 Extend the figure in your own creative way to get a corresponding angle of <4 &
<6.

Think & explore

As we reach towards the end of this discussion, let me leave you with a question……

Can you draw a pair of parallel lines with a transversal in such a way that corresponding
angles are not equal?

…..keep thinking!

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 V

Exploring Triangles (Part I)

Objective: To enable students to learn how to construct altitudes, median and angle
bisectors.

Material required: Plastic strips, fly nuts, elastic bands and protractors.

Getting stated……………………….

1. Create a triangle using the given plastic strips and connecting screws. (Hint: to
begin with, make an acute angled triangle)

2. What do these screws represent in this triangle?

Exploring further……
1. Fix up another screw on one side of the triangle so that its position could be
moved or adjusted.
2. Fix the protractor on screw D for measuring the angle being made on the strip
BC.
3. A, Tie an elastic band connecting the screw on side BC.

4. Adjust screw D so that the elastic band connecting screw A & D makes an
angle of 900 on the side BC.
Now, you have successfully created an altitude of this Triangle
5. Using the same technique, you screw D in such a way that it is in the middle
of side BC.
Now, the rubber band connecting two opposite screws A & D is representing a
median of the triangle from vertex A to side BC.
6. Fix a protractor at VertexA now and slide the screw D so that elastic band
bisects <A.
Then, this elastic band from A to D will represent the angle bisector of the
triangle.

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 Exploring Triangles (Part II)

Objective: To search for a point of concurrence of altitudes medians and angle bisectors.

Material required: Plastic strips, connecting screws, rubber bands and protractor.

Making a beginning……..

Have you ever thought of the beauty that lies behind the medians, altitudes and angle
bisectors of a Δ?

1. With the help of plastic strips and fly nut & make a triangle.

2. From each vertex of this triangle, create a median using the rubber bands.
Explore the answers to the following questions:-
- How many medians can you make?
- Where do these medians lie?
- What special feature you are able to observe about all these medians?

3. Now, keep on changing the sides of the Triangle and adjust their medians. Observe
where these medians lie and where is their point of concurrence?

(Hint: Outside the triangle, inside the Triangle or on the Triangle)

4. What special feature do you observe about medians of an equilateral and isosceles
Triangle?

Now, try to redo this activity by creating altitudes and angle bisectors of a Triangle.

Based on your exploration, try and answer the following:

 What do you observe about the point if concurrences of altitudes, medians and
angle bisectors in an equilateral triangle?
 Can we get point of concurrence of medians outside the triangle? In which
condition does if happen?
 Find the about altitudes and their point of concurrence in a right angled triangle?
 Make a paper cut out of a triangle. Using paper folding how will you find its
altitudes, medians and angle bisectors?

….keep thinking & exploring!

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 VI

Exploring the properties of a triangle

Objective: To enable students discover the properties of a triangle of their own

through their hands-on experience & exploration (Triangle inequality & Angle sum
property).

Material required: Plastic strips with fly nuts & screws, rivets, protractors, elastic
bands.

Getting stated…..

 Where have you seen a triangular shape in real life?

Take 3 plastic strips and fly nuts & screws. Try to make different triangles by
varying the length of these strips.
For each triangle measure the sides of the triangle.

Ques: What do you observe when you add the measure of any two sides of
the triangle and compare it with the 3rd side?

Ques: Is your observation true for all the triangles that you have made?
(Hint: move the screws and observe the length of the sides)

This property of sides of a triangle is known as ‘Triangle Inequality’

Explain this in equality in your own language?

Ques: What is the possibility making a Δ with these plastic strips so that sums
of two sides is either less than or equal to the 3rd side?

 Using plastic strips create an equilateral triangle, where the measure of each
angle is _____ and sum of all the three <s is ________. Now, increase the
measure of any one angle. What is the change in other two angles? Measure all
the three angles now and calculate their sum. What do you find?

 If you change the sides of a triangle, what happens to the sum of all the angles?

 Will the sum of all the angles of a triangle increase with increase in length of
sides?

 Try to create a triangle in which all the 3 angles as acute angles. What is the
result? What is the measure of all the three angles in such a Triangle? And the
sum of these angles is = ________

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 Try to create a triangle in which we have two angles are right angles. What is
the result? Why? How many right angles can be there in a triangle? Can you
search for the reason behind this?

 Now, try to create a triangle in which we have one obtuse angles. How many
obtuse angles can you have in a triangle? What is the reason for this?
(Hint: take out one screw and try making two angles obtuse)

 What conclusions can you draw from the above discussions?

(Hint: Try to see the pattern in the sum of the angles of a triangle)

 Before, Try to reflect on these questions.

Ques: In a triangle, if we fix up the sides of a triangle and the angles of a triangle
can we change its shape? Why? What do you conclude from this? Where is this
property used in real life and how this property is useful?

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 VII

Some special Triangles

Equilateral and Isosceles Triangle

Objective: To enable the students explore the properties of an equilateral triangle and an
isosceles triangles.

Material required: Plastic strips, connecting screws and 3 protractors.

Making a beginning:

1. Try to make a triangle with 3 plastic strips, fly nuts and screws where you
have
 All 3 angles as acute angle (acute angled triangle)
 One obtuse angle (obtuse angled triangle)
 One right angle (right angled triangle)

2. Now try to make triangles with following sides:

 All 3 sides are equal (Equilateral triangle)

 Only 2 sides are equal (Isosceles triangle)
 No side is equal (Scalene triangle)

After you have explored all such triangles, you are set for further exploration.

Let us explore:

1. In an equilateral triangle, measure the angles in it and note them down.

2. Construct another equilateral triangle by increasing or decreasing the length of
the side of previous triangle.
Now, measure its angles.

Ques: What do you conclude?

3. Now, try to construct an obtuse angled equilateral triangle or a right angled

equilateral triangle.
Ques: What do you find?

4. Try to find examples from your real life where equilateral triangles are used.
For example, a kaleidoscope.

5. What will be the change in the angles and sides of an equilateral triangle if
measure of one of its angle is changed?

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 Note down your observation.
In the new triangle:
What is the change in the sides? _______
What is the change in the angles? _______

6. Construct various isosceles triangles with different set of measurements and

note down the length of each sides and measure of its angles.

Ques: Now, what can you conclude about the properties of an isosceles
triangle from the above exploration?

7. Think of some real examples where isosceles triangles have been used like in
triangular pyramids.

8. Now, create different scalene triangles and note the sides and angles of the
scalene triangle. Do you observe any pattern in the scalene triangle?

Summing up:

1. Can you relate the properties of the sides with the properties of angles of a
triangle?
In a triangle,

 If all three sides are equal then what is the measure of the three angles?
 If only two sides are equal then what are the measures of angles?
 If no side is equal to the other then what relationship do you observe in the
measure of angles?

2. Take a paper cut out of an equilateral triangle, isosceles triangle and scalene
triangle. By paper folding try to show the properties of sides and angles in
them.

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 VIII

Pythagoras Property

Aim: To enable students explore a right angled triangle and verify Pythagoras property in
it.

Material required: A triangle of sides 3 cm, 4 cm, and 5 cm. and 30 unit squares.

Making a beginning:

Take the right angled triangle and record its sides.

Triangle: Side 1 =
Side 2 =
Side 3 =

Identify its perpendicular, base and its hypotenuse.

Ques: Can you tell which side will be the hypotenuse and why?

Ques: Why is the side opposite to 900 always the largest side?

- Along the base and perpendicular of the triangle, create the shape of a square by
using unit squares.

- Count these unit squares.

Unit squares along side 3 cm. = _______
Unit squares along side 4 cm. = _______

(Keep the unused unit sq. apart)

- Now, using these squares unit along P and B only, try to create a square along
hypotenuse by rearranging these units square. What is the side of this square?

- What do you observe?

No. of unit sq. + No. of unit sq. = No. of unit sq.

On _________ On _________ On _________

OR Area of sq. created + Area of sq. = Area of sq. created

along _______ created along along ____side of Δ
side of Δ ____ side of Δ

( ____ )2 + ( ____ )2 = ( ____ )2

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 What do you conclude?

Exploring further:

 Try to draw a right angled triangle with sides 6,8,10 cm using the plastic strips &
screws
Draw squares of sides 6,8, 10 cm. respectively on these sides.
Calculate the areas of these squares.
What do you observe?

 Draw an obtuse angled triangle. Make squares along its sides and calculate their
area.
What do you observe?
Is the same Pythagoras property is true for obtuse angled triangle also?

 Try to find out where this property is applicable in real life.

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 IX

Quadrilaterals

Aim: To enable students discover the various properties of different kinds of

quadrilaterals by their own hands-on experience.

Material required: 4 plastic strips, snap fit screws, 4 protractors and 8 elastic bands.

Making a beginning:

 Make a quadrilateral whose sides and angles you can measure easily.
Ques: Why is a quadrilateral a called a polygon?

 Keeping the sides fixed try to make different kinds of quadrilaterals!

Now, keeping the angles fixed try to make various quadrilaterals with different
sides.

Let us explore further:

Step 1: Using four plastic strips create a four sided closed figure. Fit four protractors in
four corners to measure angles.
Join the opposite corners with elastic bands.

Step 2: In this quadrilateral, measure all the angles and find its sum. What is the sum of
all these angles?
Change the shape of the quadrilaterals and repeat the same process of calculating the sum
of all the 4 angles of it.

Ques: What pattern do you observe in the sum of angles in both these quadrilaterals?

Ques: Will the sum of all the angles in a quadrilateral be same irrespective of the shape
of the quadrilateral? Why?

So, sum of all the four angles of a quadrilateral is _____ and this property is known as
‘angle sum property of a quadrilateral’.

Step 3: Now, change the shape of the quadrilateral that you have in such a way that one
set of opposite sides become parallel. Measure its sides and angles.

Make another similar shape with one set of opposite sides parallel. Again measure its
sides and angles.

Ques: Did you observe any pattern or property related to sides, angles or diagonals?

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Such a shape is known as Trapezium.

Step 4: In this trapezium, now make the 2nd set of opposite sides also parallel

Ques: What properties do you observe in

Sides =
Angles =
Diagonals =

Such a shape where both set of opposite sides is parallel is known as a parallelogram!

Observe two railway tracks crossing each other. Look at the shape formed within them.
What shape is this?

Step 5: Now, Use this parallelogram to search for the new type of quadrilateral.

Ques: If you make one angle of this parallelogram as 900, then what happens to this
parallelogram?

Ques: which changes did you observe in the properties of sides, angles and diagonals of
the parallelogram as soon as one of its angles becomes 900.

Ques: Can you change only one angle to 900 without disturbing the other angles? Why?

This new shape that you have got is known as a Rectangle.

Step 6: Using this already made rectangle, change its sides in order to make all of them
equal in length.

Ques: What properties of this new quadrilateral did you observe related to its angles,
sides and diagonals?

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This kind of quadrilateral is known as a Square.

Ques: Can you make a square whose diagonals are not equal?

Step 7: Try to change any one angle of the square to get an obtuse or acute angle, by
pressing the square from one corner.

Ques: What will happen to the square if one of its angles is changed to get an obtuse or
acute angle?
(Imagine that you have pressed the square from one corner)

Note down the changes in properties of the square when one of its angles is changed.

Such a shape is known as a Rhombus.

Ques: Amongst all these quadrilaterals that you made, in which cases you obtained equal
diagonals? Why?
(Hint: Are the equal diagonals related to the angles of the quadrilateral?)

Ques: In which cases are we getting perpendicular diagonals and why?

(Hint: Try to find the reason by relating it to sides of the quadrilaterals).

Verify the angle sum property for all the four sided shapes.

Summing up:

Explore and answer, try and answer the following:

Ques: Make a parallelogram with four plastic strips. Can you change any angle of this
parallelogram easily?

Take another plastic strip and fix it between the opposite vertices of the parallelogram.
Now, push and try to change the angles of the parallelogram. What happens? Why?
Explore the reason for it!!

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