Task of the Week: Glass Roofing

Today’s object – found in Hamburg – requires the recognition of different quadrilateral shapes as well as a fitting division into several subareas.

Task: Glass roofing (task number: 2148)

How many square meters of glass were used for the entire roof?

The glass roofing consists of a rectangular roof surface (can be divided into three small rectangles), a rectangular area next to the entrance and three trapezoids on each side. To solve the task, all measurements for the rectangles and trapezoids must be made. Afterwards, the students calculate the individual areas and by adding the entire content of the glass. Due to the individual bars, the decomposition of the surfaces is almost predetermined. Nevertheless, the task requires the recognition of geometric shapes as well as a suitable mathematization of the tasks by formula knowledge of rectangle and trapezoid. This geometric question can be assigned to compound surfaces and can be solved from class 8 onwards.