Merlot Website Assignment

Platonic Solids

Linda May

 

 

Course:   Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry Class 

 

Uses:      http://www.friesian.com/elements.htm

                http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/java3dviewer.html

               

Background:  A regular polyhedron is a convex polygon whose faces are bounded by congruent convex polygons whose dihedral angles are congruent.  Named after the Greek philosopher Plato, these 5 "Platonic solids" were thought to represent elements of the natural world.

 

Assignment:        

 

A.                  Investigate, using the above sites, the history and philosophy of Plato and the Platonic Solids.   Go to http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.F99/Estes/unit/day8/platonic.html and fill in the box at the bottom of the page.

 

B.                   Click on “Next Page.”  Derive a formula that will find the number of edges of a polyhedron of the type we have explored.

 

C.                   Construct a 3-D project using the five platonic solids.