Polygon Riddle 2

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My first is in shape but not in space;

My second is in line and also in place;

My third is in point but not in line;

My fourth is in operation but not in sign;

My fifth is in angle but not in degree;

My sixth is in glide but not symmetry;

My seventh is in round but not in square;

My last is in patterns you see everywhere;

My whole is a polygon, regular not wide;

But what is the sum of the angles inside?

Hint: split the shape into triangles

A Mathematics Lesson Starter Of The Day


Topics: Starter | Riddles | Shape

  • Transum,
  •  
  • This form of a riddle or word puzzle used to be more popular than it is today. The structure of the riddle is that each line (the first seven lines in this case) gives a clue to a single letter of the answer. The last line (the eighth line in this case) then gives a clue to the complete answer.
    You can work out from line one that the first letter of the answer occurs in the word ‘shape’ but it does not occur in the word ‘space'. By process of elimination you can see that the first letter of the answer must be H.
    Work through the other lines of the riddle to determine the other letter possibilities and then you are well on your way to solving the riddle.
  • Hayley Roberts, Gloucestershire
  •  
  • The last line of the riddle asks what is the total of the inside angles of the polygon and the answer states 900 degrees. I do not believe this to be correct as the total of the internal angles of any polygon only add up to 360 degrees.
  • Tracey Roden, ICC
  •  
  • I thought it was the EXTERNAL angles of a polygon which total 360! Think triangle - the internal angles add up to 180!!
  • Doyle,
  •  
  • The exterior angles sum to 360
    and the interior angles depends on how many sides the shape has,
    a heptagon has 7 sides and therefore it can be split into 5 triangles
    a triangle has 180 degrees, so 180*5 = 900.
  • Rob Irving, Higham
  •  
  • Internal angles of any polygon follow the formula n-2 x 180 where n= the number of sides of the polygon so the reason that a triangle has 180 degrees is becan(which = 3) - 2 x 180 means 1 x 180.
    Try the formula for a rectangle and you get 360 degrees.
    And yes it's true for all polygons. External angles are different they add up to 360.

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Christmas Present Ideas

It is often very difficult choosing Christmas presents for family and friends but so here are some seasonal, mathematics-related gifts chosen and recommended by Transum Mathematics.

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How Not To Be Wrong

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Graphic Display Calculator

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For the young people in your life this is a great investment. Bought as a Christmas present but useful for many years to come as the young person turns into an A-level candidate then works their way through university. more... #ad

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Apple iPad Pro

The analytics show that more and more people are accessing Transum Mathematics via an iPad as it is so portable and responsive. The iPad has so many other uses in addition to solving Transum's puzzles and challenges and it would make an excellent gift for anyone.

The redesigned Retina display is as stunning to look at as it is to touch. It all comes with iOS, the world's most advanced mobile operating system. iPad Pro. Everything you want modern computing to be. more... #ad

Before giving an iPad as a Christmas gift you could add a link to iPad Maths to the home screen.

Craig Barton's Tips for Teachers

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"The ideas come from two sources. First, from the wonderful guests on his Tips for Teachers podcast - education heavyweights such as Dylan Wiliam, Daisy Christodoulou and Tom Sherrington, as well as talented teachers who are not household names but have so much wisdom to share. Then there's what he has learned from working with amazing teachers and students in hundreds of schools around the world.

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Click the images above to see all the details of these gift ideas and to buy them online.

Maths T-Shirts

Maths T-shirts on Amazon
Maths T-Shirts on Amazon

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Online Maths Shop

Laptops In Lessons

Teacher, do your students have access to computers such as tablets, iPads or Laptops?  This page was really designed for projection on a whiteboard but if you really want the students to have access to it here is a concise URL for a version of this page without the comments:

Transum.org/go/?Start=July28

However it would be better to assign one of the student interactive activities below.

Laptops In Lessons

 

Here is the URL which will take them to a related student activity.

Transum.org/go/?to=polyang

Maths Riddles

 

Here is the URL which will take them the Transum Riddle collection. Enjoy!

Transum.org/Maths/Puzzles/Riddles/

Student Activity

 


Curriculum Reference

See the National Curriculum page for links to related online activities and resources.

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