Last Updated on September 15, 2023 by Editorial Team
Geometry is not something that is limited to the domains of theory on paper. Examples of shapes and geometrical properties are in abundance in our surroundings, after all, it is by observing our environments that these figures took shape on paper. However, it is challenging to teach about different shapes and their properties to students.
One such crucial yet complex figure is that of a cone. When it comes to studying this 3-dimensional figure, it might not be a piece of cake for many children. It is very easy to encounter the figure of a cone in our daily life without even realizing it. So, why not connect theoretical knowledge to real-life applications and help students to learn and remember by building associations? Summarized below are some examples of cones from our day-to-day life that can ease out the process of identifying and familiarizing the shape.
Interesting real-life examples of a cone
Realistic examples of geometric shapes, including cones, help students understand the properties and elements better. With such examples, students learn to identify and differentiate between various geometrical shapes.
1. Eat An Ice-cream Cone!
Who doesn’t love ice cream? We all scream and run for ice cream! Surely you must have eaten ice cream in a cup or of course, a cone. Who would have thought our favorite dessert would be served in a geometrical shape and that too a cone? An ice cream cone has a circular face with one vertex only. Such properties of a shape make it a cone. So, the next time you have an ice cream make sure you observe the properties of a cone!
2. Wear your Hat!
So who all are Harry Potter fans over here? Who remembers the talking hat which granted Harry’s wish and entitled him to Gryffindor? Sure you all would like to wear that hat, but for now how about putting on that standard birthday party cap? Surprisingly, both hats depict a cone shape as such only have one vertex with a circular base and a continuous curve.
3. Decorate the Christmas Tree!
Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas, Santa. The Christmas tree is actually one big large cone in itself! If you observe carefully a Christmas tree, it has only one apex/vertex. If you observe mathematically, it has a circular base making it a perfect shape of a cone. A cone is a three-dimensional solid geometric shape and a Christmas tree is just the same!
4. Let’s Eat Carrots!
Bugs Bunny keeps eating carrots all day long, even the rabbit and the hare keep munching on the carrot. As you keep seeing carrots in your everyday life, know that even carrots are a good example of a cone. Just like a cone, carrots have a circular base with only one vertex. It also uses two line segments that connect to a common point just like in a carrot.
5. Pass it through a Funnel
How many times have the teacher asked you to use a funnel in the science lab? It always has been fun to use the funnel, with how much ease transferring and sorting happen through the use of a funnel! A funnel is also a cone that is used in everyday life. Just like a cone, a funnel also has one circular base which is basically an open face of it along with one vertex point.
6. Watch the Traffic Cone
A traffic cone is a piece of plastic with a pointed top that is placed on the road for systematic parking. As you walk through, you must have observed a traffic cone. A traffic cone is also a geometric shape of a cone with only one vertex. Moreover, it has a circular base making it a cone.
7. Play with Playing Top
You must have seen a spinning wheel but it is indeed fun to watch a spinning top. Did you know a playing top is a perfect example of a cone? The playing top has a circular base and just one vertex joined together with two line segments. So, the next time you see a playing top, know that it is a cone.
8. Rest in a Tent
Have you seen tents shaped in different ways? If you observe carefully, you can see various tents built in a cone shape. A tent has only one point where two line segments meet from a circular face making it a perfect geometrical cone. So, the next time you think of buying a tent, buy a cone-shaped one!
9. Hear through a Megaphone
Sure you have heard so many announcements in school and public areas. Carefully observe a Megaphone and see how it depicts a cone shape. A cone shape follows a circular base just like the one a megaphone has. A megaphone also has two line segments that are connected to a single point. Just like a cone, a megaphone also has just one vertex.
10. Look at the Pencil Tip
Something that you use every day might also be a part of geometrical shapes. Have you ever observed the tip of a pencil? There you go, look at it carefully now, how this conical tip helps you write such long essays and solve sums. The tip of a pencil, when sharpened fully, depicts a cone shape with one vertex which is the tip, and the circular base which is the part we hold while writing.
Wrapping up
Real-life examples of geometrical figures can help students in remembering not only the shapes better but also some of their properties. While students learn a lot through drawing and watching shapes on a chart or in class, examples make it different. As students get an opportunity to view these shapes in reality, they can form a better association with them. It also helps them understand how some shapes like squares and triangles are present in everyday life along with their uses. So, teachers and educators can build a comprehensive learning environment with realistic examples.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,