MATHS

YEAR 8 ELMS - TRIGONOMETRY PROJECT 

During the early weeks of term 4, the Year 8 ELMS classes participated in a trigonometrical project named 'the Shadow Project'. The task required measuring an object's shadow at two different times of the day. After recording the measurement, we plugged the time we took them into a geodetic calculator. The calculator then told us the azimuth and altitude which we used alongside our trigonometry skills to calculate the height of the object. It was an enjoyable task which I hope to repeat again in the future, given the time. 

Xavier Sung 

Year 8G

During the project, I measured a chair that was sitting outside of my house. We would go outside at different times of the day to measure how long the shadow of an object was. We would then use a website to find the altitude and azimuth of the sun and use these values to calculate height of the object using trigonometry. I found this fun because we were able to apply trigonometry into the real world and in a fun way.

Izak Solomon

Year 8H

For my project, I measured a tree in my front yard. I used trigonometry to find the height of it using the altitude of the sun! I measured the tree multiple times and compared results. I did calculations, took photos and spent some time outside. We were taught about bearings and how the sun can play into things. Overall, it was a really fun project and we learnt a lot about the application of trigonometry in the real world!

Rithi Vasudevan

Year 8F

The shadow measuring task created a clear visual of our current topic on trigonometry. This task required us to measure the shadow length of the object and calculate the height using trigonometry. This task was really entertaining as it got us to move around and really helped me understand trigonometry. This is a real-life application that proves math is useful in everyday life. 

Leo Yang

Year 8F

In this fun maths project, students measured and recorded the lengths of a shadow of an object, at two different times of the day. Using a website, students found and recorded the sun’s elevation and bearing. Using this information, students were able to visualize a diagram of the object and calculate the height of the object with help from trigonometry. Finally, we used the bearing of the shadow to calculate the objects true bearing from the sun. Overall, this project was fun as it allowed us to use trigonometry practically and show us how maths can be used in real life.

Tin Tin Tran

Year 8F

In this project we got to use what we learnt at school in a project using trigonometry to find the height of an object, first we measured the shadow and then the time of day and found the elevation of the sun. We then drew diagrams, used the angle of the sun and the shadow length to find the height of our chosen object. This project was really fun because we got to use what we just learnt in class, and we got to use it in a fun way and learnt how to use it in life. 

Sam Chilco-Burns

Year 8G

At the last week of lockdown our beloved math’s teachers introduced to us the Shadow Project task. I found the perfect object to use in this project - a long handled dustpan. I had put it in my garden and measured its shadow on a sunny day at both 12:20pm and 17:40pm in the afternoon. Then I went on to geodesyapps.ga.gov.au to collect information of the Sun elevation (altitude) & Sun bearing (azimuth). Using Trigonometry, I found the dustpan’s height and the bearing of its shadow using information, diagrams, calculations and basic trigonometry. I really liked this project as it includes outdoor activities and brain exercise.

Sally Hu

Year 8H

Svetlana Beliavski, Emma Griffingham and Alice Breidahl 

Year 8 ELMS Teachers