Happy Birthday Mathematicians and Me...

Due date is:

Mathematicians and scientists are people too!!! Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton was inspired to study mathematics after a fight with a school bully ? Leonhard Euler wrote more mathematics than anyone - even after he became totally blind !! Great mathematical or scientific discoveries were made by real people who experienced the same misunderstandings and frustrations that we all do when learning a new concept. The purpose of this activity is for you to research a person who made a math or science discovery happen.

Choose a mathematician or scientist from the website according to your birth date (month and day). Research about their life and important contributions to mathematics/ science. Don’t forget -- the Internet is an excellent source of information !!

You will then make a cube or tetrahedron such that each side measures 5 inches and using your research, place the information on each face of your polyhedron.

Word-process your information using complete, grammatically correct, spell-checked and correctly punctuated sentences.

GLUE
your polyhedron together (with all flaps inside!!) and GLUE your facts onto each side of the cube. (DO NOT USE TAPE!!!!! )

YOUR RESEARCH MUST INCLUDE: (ALL 6 OF THE FOLLOWING FOR THE CUBE AND 4, INCLUDING # 1, # 2, # 3 & ONE MORE OF YOUR CHOICE, FOR THE TETRAHEDRON )

Maximum grade for a correctly completed CUBE is an A.
Maximum grade for a correctly completed TETRAHEDRON is a B.

Each side must have CATEGORY TITLE.

1. STATISTICS - Your mathematician’s /scientist’s name, picture, birthplace (city and country), and year of birth & death (include actual dates if available). Your name also goes here !!

2. MAP - of the country where your person lived. Be sure to mark birthplace and any other cities that he/she may have lived.

3. GREATEST CONTRIBUTION - that your person made to math or science. Give an example of how this contribution is used.

4. TRIVIA FACT ( for example, “he became so involved in his work that he would forget to eat” ) OR INTERESTING fact ( for example, “he held off a Roman army using some of the devices that he invented” )

5. WHERE EDUCATED and how much education did your person have. High school ? College? No “formal” education ?

6. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH of the highlights of your person’s life.








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To construct your polyhedron :

1. Use a pattern to construct your tetrahedron or cube out of sturdy poster board (the standard size that you can buy at the grocery store in any color or white).

2. Each edge of the figure must be five (5) inches in length.

3. Lightly score the fold lines (crease firmly without cutting through the poster board) with a
ruler or “pizza wheel” .

4. Fold the box on the scored lines. GLUE all sides together. Be sure to tuck the flaps IN-
SIDE
your polyhedron.

5. GLUE all your research in the proper places on the faces of your polyhedron.