Generic Tasks: Height of Buildings

Today we would like to introduce you to our generic tasks concerning the height of buildings. This topic offers the opportunity to do math for different grades.

The height of buildings can already be determined with grade 5 students if regularities and patterns are identified: https://mathcitymap.eu/en/portal-en/?show=task&id=2045

These may e.g. be bricks, glass panes or plates, of which one or more can be measured to determine the total height by means of the total number.

Such a question thus trains the mathematical view on regularities and patterns in the environment.

The difficulty of the task increases as soon as the building has no regularities. The height can then be determined with the help of the intercept theorems.

https://mathcitymap.eu/en/portal-en/?show=task&id=3171

There are various possible solutions for this, for example using the sun’s position in suitable weather conditions, using smaller objects (such as lanterns) or using the folding rule. In this case, it is particularly helpful to make a preliminary sketch of the situation in order to facilitate the application of the intercept theorems.

Important in both cases is a marking in the task or image, which makes it clear to what point the height should be determined, for example, if you want to ignore a front building.

The document Height of Buildings contains our detailed description of both types of tasks.