This task is taken from the Illustrative Maths website
| Objective | The purpose of this task is for students to work on their visualisation skills and to apply the Pythagorean Theorem. The first part of the task draws on mathematics students should have already encountered in year 8. It is important for students to first try to visualise the two-dimensional path on the surface of the three-dimensional box and then to build it to see if they are correct. It is likely that some students will draw the net with the reflection of the correct path. If the box was built out of a clear material and folded so the path is inside the box, the path would look like it is in the correct place except it would be on the inside. If the box gets folded so the path is on the outside, then it will look like a mirror image of the spider path shown in the figure.
This task allows students to explore how concrete models can help them visualise three-dimensional objects that are drawn in a two dimensional representation. Students should have access to plenty of squared paper so they can try again if their first design doesn’t work. |
| Resources | Spiderbox Powerpoint Print off of slide 15 (for students who are are unable to complete the visualisation task correctly) Squared paper and scissors for the nets of the cuboids |