1. Anita and Bala are playing golf. Anita’s ball is 5 m from the hole.
Loci
GM4.3 Core Plenary
Anita and Bala are playing golf.
Anita’s ball is 5 m from the hole.
Bala’s ball lands 9 m from Anita’s.
She says she is nearer to the hole than Anita.
Could she be right?
There are two automatic buoys A and B which are 12 km apart. Both buoys detect a boat.
At 5 o’clock it was 8 km from A and 6 km from B.
At 6 o’clock it is 10 km from A and 8 km from B.
How far had the ship travelled between 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock?
Preamble
The first puzzle illustrates the helpfulness of drawing a sketch to clarify the possibilities. The second is a multi-step problem involving scale drawing. Both may be worked through by the whole group, with supporting discussion.
Possible content
Applying simple loci and scale drawings.
Resources
Ruler and compasses.
Solution/Notes
Bala could be right.
The ship travelled about 3 km. Depending on circumstances, the ambiguous position of the boat might be discussed.
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Original Material © Cambridge University Press 2009