Unit 13

Language Bank: Areas and perimeters

Rosas Navarrete Angelica del Pilar
Name and surnames: ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
26/10/07
Year: ..................................................................................................................................................................................................
29/05/23
Date: ..........................................

The deductive process

Four thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians already knew how to calculate
the areas of polygons and the volumes of some geometric solids. They used formulas obtained
through experimentation, which means that they were not mathematically accurate.
Thales of Miletus, the Pythagoreans and Euclid brought the geometry of the Egyptians and
Babylonians to Greece and made great advancements. They took a theoretical approach. They
used formulas to calculate lengths and areas. They were based on mathematical accuracy that
they obtained through a deductive process. Archimedes discovered how to calculate the areas
and volumes of curved shapes using a very sophisticated method. Greek culture spread across the
Mediterranean from Sicily to Asia Minor.
There is a legend about a Greek ship which sank. The surviving sailors swam to land and found
themselves on an unknown beach. There, they found some geometric shapes drawn in the sand.
One of them said: ‘Friends, do not be afraid! Civilised people live here’.
We can measure lengths using a ruler or other similar tools (direct method). However, sometimes
it is more practical to use a mathematical formula to do it (indirect method).

Do these activities about the text:

1. Find the adjective form of the word ‘accuracy’ in the text. Then, look up its meaning and write a sentence
using it.
They used formulas obtained through experimentation, which means that they were not mathematically
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precise, they were based on the mathematical precision that they obtained through a deductive process.
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I'm precisely sure that I will hit the target

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2. Answer these questions about the text:

the ancient egyptians
a. What ancient civilisations used formulas obtained through experimentation? ..................................................

and babylonians
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Thales of Miletus, the

b. What Greek mathematicians took a theoretical approach at geometry? ..............................................................
© Grupo Anaya, S. A. Material imprimible autorizado.

Pythagoreans and Euclid

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c. What Greek mathematician discovered how to calculate the areas and volumes of curved shapes? ....

Archimedes
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d. Why do you think that the sailor from the legend said that: ‘Civilised people live here!’ when they
because they found some geometric shapes drawn in the sand.
arrived on the island? .......................................................................................................................................................................

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 Rosas Navarrete Angelica del Pilar
Name and surnames: ................................................................................................................................................................................................

3. Take a look at the following words:

experimentation unknown legend

 

a. Grab a partner and discuss the meaning of the words by looking at the text. Write down your
conclusions.

What do you think the

word ‘unknown’ means?

Looking at the context,

I think it means…

person or thing that is unknown

Conclusions: .........................................................................................................................................................................................
They are talking about unknown things or people
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b. Draw a line to match the words to their synonyms:

experimentation • testing, inv • progress, improvement sophisticated

legend • myth, story • testing, investigation experimenta
unknown • • procedure, equation formula
unfamiliar
sophisticated • • unfamiliar, anonymous
progress, i unknown
advancement • • myth, story
complicate legend
formula • • complicated, elaborate
procedure advancemen

4. Match the following words to their denitions:

© Grupo Anaya, S. A. Material imprimible autorizado.

1. Egypt a. Method we use when we measure length with a formula.

2. direct method b. Place where geometry was rst used to measure the Nile River.

3. indirect method c. This mathematician gured out how to measure the areas
and volumes of curved shapes.

4. Greece d. Method we use when we measure length with a ruler.

5. Archimedes e. Geometry spread from Babylonia and Egypt to this country.

Your answers: 1 -b….; 2 -a….; 3 - ….; 4 - ….; 5 -d….

c e
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