#16: Discover Circles

Circles are EVERYWHERE, and wherever there are circles, there’s math to be done!

Spark your math thinking!

  1. Set up your math mini spark recording page: #16: Discover Circles
  2. Read this circle fact page. Record 3-5 ideas on your recording page.
  3. Find circles in your environment and snap some pictures.  Make a Pic Collage (or use another app of your choice). Add the finished project to your recording sheet.

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  4. Get a ruler. Snap a picture of a circle that you have found with a ruler going through the center This is measuring the diameter of the circle.  Calculate the circumference of the circle by taking pi (3.14) times diameter.  C = πd. Record your math and the answer on your recording page
  5. Read the following steps to see how you can get to Pi!

Step 1:  Measure the diameter of a circle.  I used the top of my QT cup in the picture below. I measured the diameter as 11.5 cm.

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Step 2:  Measure the outside of the circle (circumference) with a string (I used a piece of making tape folded in half because I didn’t have a string handy).

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Step 3:  Measure the string.  I measured the circumference of my QT lid as 36.5 cm.

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Step 4:  Divide the circumference by the diameter (36.5 divided by 11.5).

I got 3.17391304.  Not too bad!

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5. Do steps 1-4 with your own circle. Record all of the math on your recording page.

6. Share your math mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

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