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Ransom Middle Students Build Tetrahedral What-A-Kite
May 24, 2016
What do you get when you combine several hundred giant Whataburger drink straws, tissue paper, Elmer’s glue and string (lots of string)? If you are one of Louis O’Rear’s 130 science students at Ransom Middle School, you get a giant 64-cell tetrahedral Whataburger kite.
“We flew it in every class today,” O’Rear said Monday. “I flew it with each class to show them that it doesn’t matter how large you build it, as long as you stay true to the tetrahedral shape, geometrically.”
It is perhaps more challenging than it sounds. Tying the smaller tetrahedral kites in a very specific geometric arrangement is a bit difficult. “There are 63 ways to attach them wrong, and only one way to attach them correctly,” he said.
There was a one little problem flying the kite Monday…there was no wind. But middle school students and Ransom track stars didn’t mind a little running to get the kite into the air.
And just in case you forgot middle school geometry – a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all the ordinary convex polyhedra and the only one that has fewer than five faces.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
10 Responses to “Ransom Middle Students Build Tetrahedral What-A-Kite”
I was fortunate to have Mr. O’s class 4 years ago (I graduate this Friday) and I would say Mr. O definitely deserves a teacher of the year award. He made science fun as opposed to doing worksheets every day in science classes I have had in the past. Keep it up Mr. O!!!
I stand corrected, my apologies all around.
Looks good…. a mixture of structural and aeronautical design and test. The triangle is the basis for all truss structures. Maybe they could build a bridge next?
Love to see the hands on instruction at the end of the school year as many teachers would rather pop in a movie and call it a year. Way to go Mr. O.
@ Steve. Great point. It is easy to quote from a text book or describe pictures but to actually use a child’s mind seems to be an often overlooked art of the past. I vote for Mr.O as teacher of the year!
Pensacola Pete…A pyramid has a square bottom and five faces. These tetrahedra only have four faces, and each face is a triangle. But you have me wondering…would a pyramidal kite fly? That just may be our project next year! LOL! Have a great day!
Work those young minds its a wonderful project.
A pyramid has a square base.
Now This isTeaching!!!!
Not only fun for the kids but they use their hands to build something.
a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all the ordinary convex polyhedra and the only one that has fewer than five faces.
Or you could call it a pyramid.