We have uploaded a new Teacher Resource Project file – Quad Quandary.

Quad Quandary looks at optimising the area of a quadrilateral by changing the angle between two of the sides.

This requires the optimisation of this function.

The students are provided with some guidance in developing the formula for the situation but require knowledge of the cosine rule, the sine formula for area of a triangle and knowledge of inverse trigonometric functions. They will also require use of a graphics calculator or graphing program such as FX Graph in order to optimise the function.

The activity is designed to be done as a pre-test activity and then an in-class validation test but can be adapted to suit your needs.