Have you ever thought about geometry as just a branch of mathematics that revolves around the concepts of shapes, sizes, and locations of individual objects? Realizing how geometry is widely present in everything we do in our daily lives is quite fascinating. With a better understanding of how geometry is closely related to almost every activity, what we do becomes more interesting.
From the buildings to the technology used in real life, this is a concept that just doesn’t have a bookish meaning, as it is used quite often practically too. Explaining to the kids how geometry as a concept is used in real life can help them become more proficient in the topic, and can make them inquisitive to learn it further.
In this post, we will talk about the various geometry examples in real life that can give insights as to why this topic becomes a must-learn for little learners.
Geometry: Some real-life instances
Simply observing the entities and activities around us can give us a better understanding of the practicality of geometry. Geometry plays a major role in determining lengths, areas, and volumes in almost everything we do. Here are ten real-life instances where geometry is widely present.
1. Nature
Look around outside – this is where geometry is greatly present. We are likely to see various geometrical shapes and patterns in different sizes and symmetries if we look closely at flowers, leaves, stems, roots, and many more. From fruits and vegetables to even a small honeycomb, a lot of natural things around us have the perfect geometrical shape. Looking at a small plant, you can observe the shape of the leaves and how different geometrical shapes are formed within just one plant.
2. Living Spaces
Geometry can be everywhere inside a home, from doors to windows to chairs to rugs of different sizes. Various patterns are imprinted on carpets and curtains to make them aesthetically pleasing. Keepsakes and paintings that decorate living spaces also come in different geometrical shapes. In fact, each and everything in our homes has a particular geometrical figure and shape. At the same time, a lot of those things are kept at various angles, which can teach us the essence of learning the concept.
3. Technology
Technology is another area where you can find the most uses for geometry. From computers to robotics to video games, geometry is present in all their underlying concepts. The concepts of geometry are what help computer programmers to work creatively. Geometric computations are a crucial part of the designs and graphics of computer games. Raycasting, a rendering technique in computer graphics, uses a two-dimensional map to create a three-dimensional world in video gaming.
4. Sports
Sports is where making use of geometrical angles and shapes is most enjoyed by children and adults in daily life. From skating rinks being round, to cricket grounds being spherical, geometry is everywhere in sports, even a bat and a ball are geometrical figures which means that geometry is a crucial part of sports too. Another important aspect while playing games is angles- players are careful about certain angles to enhance their performance and score points.
5. Medicine
Geometry-related techniques are closely associated with medical technology such as in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, X-rays, and ultrasounds. They are all about reconstructing the shapes of internal organs, bones, and tumors for diagnosis and treatment. Geometric features also help greatly to define the image in digital grids. Another vital thing to talk about is bisecting angle techniques, which are central in radiology.
6. Architecture
The establishment of buildings and monuments is greatly associated with geometry in all aspects – it includes the different aspects of geometry, such as shapes, sizes, angles, and volume of materials used. It is present right from the stages of creating structural blueprints. The theories related to symmetries and proportions are used to make fixed aspects of every building. The carvings of all architectural marvels incorporate some form of geometry into their designs. From the famous leaning tower of Pisa tilted at a particular angle, to the Eiffel tower has a triangular, rectangular, and spherical shape in between, looking closely at the seven wonders also gives us an insight about how geometry is used in architecture around us.
7. Designing
The field of designing uses geometric aspects in almost everything, from drawing the designs on paper to creating animated figures. Most design elements are entangled with geometrical proportions, which help convey a concept quite easily. Geometric principles are applied while composing the layout of manuscript illumination and miniature paintings. Take the example of calligraphy- so much attention is given while writing individual letters using calligraphic techniques.
8. Plotting
The exact calculation of physical distances is made easier with geometry. Many geometry techniques are used in astronomy to study the distances between different planets and stars. Apart from deciding the movement relationship between various bodies, geometry also plays a crucial role in surveying, where the area of the land is determined by the correct determination of shape of the land. When a builder, architect, and contractor work together to build a house on a plot, they use geometry extensively from dividing the plot to making the house and even doing the interiors.
9. Artforms
Art is about shapes, figures, patterns, and measurements employed in either a two-dimensional or three-dimensional plane. Geometry is closely related to art in all forms, as the creation of any shape results from using several geometrical forms such as circles, rectangles, squares, or even mandalas. The choice and shape of frames affect a painting, and principles of projective geometry are used in most paintings.
10. Global positioning system (GPS)
The GPS of satellites make use of geometrical principles to determine their position. Employing coordinate geometry in GPS help fetch precise information about location and time. Similar employment helps track many transportation accidents and to carry out rescue operations at many places. It also helps improve flight security, weather forecasting, military operations, environmental protection, and earthquake monitoring.
How to learn geometry effectively?
Many students face difficulty in school while grasping the concepts of geometry. Not to worry, here are some great ways to teach geometry better.
1. Read Geometry Books
Children need to develop cognitive intelligence to boost mathematical awareness in them. Reading geometry-related books will help children identify shapes and patterns in detail. Books discuss many geometrical concepts in detail, like the relationship of sides with angles, effects of changes in measurements, etc. Such books are helpful for both children and adults to develop a learning-centered attitude. Geometry books for high school students help to learn a lot of unexplored new things in detail.
2. Use Math Manipulatives
Children are usually taught the basic concepts of geometry, which mostly stick just with shapes and solids. Developing visual and applicable skills is the next step of learning.
It is where math manipulatives come into play. Practicing math manipulatives regularly will help children develop their curiosity in learning the aspects of geometry without getting bored. Having a hands-on experience with manipulatives helps children construct several physical models and learn about them. Here is a guide that discusses the top five manipulatives to learn geometry interestingly.
3. Play Geometry-Related Games
The geometric skills of a child should not be limited to solving equations and playing with shapes. They need to understand all the big and small concepts related to geometry to develop shape intelligence, structural thinking, and collaborative learning. Geometry-related games help children understand the importance of related concepts in their daily lives.
5. Following Math Blogs
Math blogs play a great role in updating people with new information and real experiences. It is always joyful to learn from experts from the instance they sight in their daily lives. Educators recommend many math assistance blogs for children and teachers to read to stay updated and grasp the concepts and principles of geometry in a relaxed way. Blogs familiarize everyone with new techniques that they can apply in day-to-day lives more confidently.
6. Playing Board Games
Playing board games helps you understand angles and shapes in detail. Ameliorating geometrical knowledge gets easier through engaging in interesting activities such as board games. Playing board games helps to comprehend directions, improve focus, and improve geometrical intelligence that you can employ in day-to-day life.
Before we conclude
On top of sighting plenty of geometry-related instances in our daily life, we are most likely to apply geometry concepts in most areas of our life. Improving geometry skills is crucial to grasping concepts quickly and solving issues where it is applicable.
Resorting on interesting activities, games, and math blogs will always be a game changer for everyone who is finding it hard to cultivate an interest in geometrical concepts. All of us will learn and, at the same time, enjoy the process thoroughly without really thinking about it.
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’,