Mini-Golf Project

Back to Math ll Backround: Mini-golf is a popular recreational activity for people of all ages. While we may not think about it, playing mini-golf well requires extensive use of geometrical thinking: understanding how balls will ricochet of walls and obstacles and how their trajectories will be influenced by the slope of playing surface. In this project we used our knowledge of geometry to design our own mini-golf course and then construct a scale model of one complete course as a class. Project Goals: We were supposed to master the following geometric concepts from the California State Standards: Use theorems involving the properties of parallel lines cut by a transversal, the properties of quadrilaterals , and the properties of circles. Find and use measures of sides and of interior and exterior angles of triangles and polygons to classify figures and solve problems. Use the Pythagorean theorem to determine distance and find missing lengths of sides of right triangles. Know and share and are able to use angle and side relationships in problems with special right triangles, such as 30, 60 , 90 degree triangles and 45,45, 90 degree triangles. Perform basic constructions with a straightedge and compass, such as angle bisector, perpendicular bisectors, and the line parallel to a given line through a point off the line. We also had to develop teamwork and communication skills: We had to present well-structured, engaging persuasive summaries of their work using spoken word and appropriate visual aids. We had to negotiate roles in our teams. We had to give and receive feedback on each others ideas in a constructive, respectful manner. Project Reflection: This was my favorite project through out the year, because it involved power tools and geometry. My team and I made a great effort to suceed, we had two weeks of work time which is enough and we had about an hour every day, but still it was challenging. We were the first team to finish, because we were very mindful of our time and we finished on the 3 day because we gathered on Saturday of the first week. Then we only needed to put the turf and sand the wood, and we didn't want it to paint it because we liked it like that because it was simple but professional. Then finally Festival del Sol came and i wasn't nervous at all, it was really cool because we had to be dressed as golf players and it was really cool to see everyone in their golf outfit and it was really fun to see all of the parents and families interact and play mini-golf. This was a great experience for me because I developed different skills such as refinement and cooperation. This is a picture of my mini golf :