4.6.

4 Journal: The Stone Arch Journal

Mathematics II Sem 2 Name: Isabella Lopez
Date:

Scenario: Trapezoidal Stone Arch

Instructions:

• View the video found on page 1 of this Journal activity.

• Using the information provided in the video, answer the questions below.

• Show your work for all calculations.

The Students' Conjectures: During an archeological dig, the students found a

voussoir from a semicircular stone arch. A voussoir is a trapezoidal (wedge-shaped)
stone used to build an arch or vault.

1. What are the students trying to find out? (1 point)

How many stones were in the original arch.

2. Complete the table to summarize each student's conjecture: (2 points: 1 point for
each row)

Student Conjecture

The stone has a trapezoidal face, it's legs

are congruent, and the acute angles both
Trey measure 84 degrees

She thinks that there were 9 stones in the

Serena
original arch.
Analyzing the Data:

3. Draw a picture that shows the trapezoidal stone and the information that you
know: (1 point)

4. Is this is an isosceles trapezoid? How do you know? (1 point)

Yes,I know because both legs and base angles are congruent

Understand the problem: Measuring an existing arch.

Part 1: Serena’s drawing

Follow these steps to find the angles of the trapezoids in Serena’s drawing. If the
angles of her trapezoid match the angles of the trapezoid stone, then her drawing is
correct.
 5. Find the measure of angle BAC. Hint: What is the sum of the measures of the
vertex angles of the nine congruent isosceles triangles? (1 point)

BAC:20 We know that an isosceles triangle

is composed of a vertex angle and two base angles. The base angles are congruent to
each other. We also know that the sum of a triangle's angles is 180 degrees. Therefore,
since there 9 congruent angles, we divide 180 by 9;180 degrees / 9 = 20 degrees each
angle

6. Triangle ABC is an isosceles triangle. Find the measure of each base angle. (2
points) B=80
C=80
Since it is an isosceles triangle, then B=C. But we are given with A=20. Recall that
the sum of the interior angles of any triangle is 180.
So we have
A+B+C=180
20+B+C=180
B+C=160
Since B=C, this means that B=80 and C=80 since their sum will be 160.

7. Use the base angles of triangle ABC to find the measure of angle CBD. (1 point)

CBD:100
Since On the line ABD
B+CBD =180°
We knowB= 80°
Putting the value
80°+CBD=180°
CBD=100
8. Find all the angle measures of trapezoid BCED: (2 points)

B=100 C=100 E=80 D=80

 Solving the problem: How many stones were in the original arch?

9. Compare these angle measures to the angles of the trapezoid stone. What can
you conclude about Serena’s theory that the arch has nine stones? (2 points)

The stone arch likely had more than 9 stones.This photo has a straight line from the ends.
It means that this will be measure 180 degrees. Since from the given question the angle
BAC is equal to 20, the remaining angles is also equal to 20. And 18 divided by 20 is 9. So
we can conclude that there are 9 nine stones in the arch.

Part 2: Work backwards to find the number of stones that were in the original arch.

10. Trapezoid EFGH represents the trapezoid stone that Trey found. Use your picture
from Question 3 to find the measures of the interior angles of trapezoid EFGH.(1
point)

G=84 H=84
E=96 F=96
11. Imagine that the stone is part of an arch, and that there is an isosceles triangle
JEF formed by extending sides GE and HF downward.

Use the measure of the angles of the trapezoid to find to measure of the base
angles JEF and JFE. Add these measurements to your drawing.(2 points, one for
each angle measure)

JEF=84 JFE=84

12. Find the measure of the vertex angle EJF. (1 point)

EJF=12
13. The isosceles triangle EJF is one of an unknown number of isosceles triangles
from the original arch.

X=15

Each isosceles triangle had the same vertex angle as triangle EJF. The sum of the
vertex angles equals 180°. (2 points, one for the correct equation, one for the correct
solution.)

Let x = the number of isosceles triangles.

Fill in the equation with your answer from Q12 and solve for x.
___ • x = 180

14. There is one stone for each isosceles triangle. How many stones were in the
original arch? (1 point)
Fifteen
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4.6.4 Journal: The Stone Arch