Classroom Triangles
Students use bearing measurements to triangulate and determine objects' locationsCopyright U.S. NOAA. Wikimedia Commons
Students use bearing measurements to triangulate and determine objects' locations. Working in teams of two or three, they must put on their investigative hats as they take bearing measurements to specified landmarks in their classroom (or other rooms in the school) from a "mystery location." With the extension activity, students are challenged with creating their own maps of the classroom or other school location and comparing them with their classmates' efforts.
Engineers use triangulation technology for many applications. For example, triangulation calculations are used for shape reconstruction of 3D geographic objects such as aquifers, ocean currents and weather fronts. Triangulation calculations are used in medical devices to detect heart rhythm disorders. Triangulation is also used in manufacturing or prototyping processes that create solid objects of polymer materials from the information provided on computer drawings.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe how to use a compass to do triangulation and determine their location,
- Identify the intersection of two points,
- Determine a landmark on a map
- Explain the relationship between triangulation technology and other fields of study (such as mathematics)