FUN WITH PYRAMIDS AND TETRAHEDRONS | English
Channel: Arvind Gupta
Date: 2017-01-19

We have made several square pyramids and tetrahedrons using stiff plastic straws and a Hot Glue Gun. For today’s activity we will use 6 PYRAMIDS and 4 TETRAHEDRONS to make a PYRAMID double its original size. This will also help us see the relationship between Pyramid and the Tetrahedron. This is the PYRAMID with a square base and 4 triangular sides. This is a TETRAHEDRON with a triangular base and 4 triangular sides. Both the PYRAMID and TETRAHEDRON are made with equal length straws. We will just see that the volume of the Pyramid is double that of the Tetrahedron. We will first keep two Pyramids side by side. The Tetrahedron snug’s between the two Pyramids. Place the third Pyramid. Another Tetra will fit between two Pyramids. Now place the fourth Pyramid to make a square base. Place two more Tetras between the Pyramids. Till now we have use 4 Pyramids and 4 Tetras. Now fit Pyramid 5 in the central cavity. On top of this place the 6th Pyramid. This will make a Pyramid, which will have double the edge length of the original Pyramid. Its volume will be two-cubed or 8-times of the original Pyramid. On dismantling we will see that 2 Pyramids = 4 Tetras. Therefore with same edge Pyramids and Tetras, the Pyramid will have double the volume of the Tetrahedron.

This work is supported by IUCAA (www.iucaa.in) and TATA Trust (http://www.tatatrusts.org/) and (www.tata.com/aboutus/sub_index/Tata-trusts)

TATA Trust: Education is one of the key focus areas for Tata Trusts, aiming towards enabling access of quality education to the underprivileged population in India. To facilitate quality in teaching and learning of Science education through workshops, capacity building and resource creation, Tata Trusts have been supporting Muktangan Vigyan Shodhika (MVS), IUCAA's Children’s Science Centre, since inception. To know more about other initiatives of Tata Trusts, please visit www.tatatrusts.org

Credits:,Ashok Rupner, Manish Jain, Pradnya Pujari, Shivaji Mane, Jyoti Hiremath, Arvind Gupta