9.3.2: Building a Trundle Wheel

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Page ID: 39478

Illustrative Mathematics
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Lesson

Let's build a trundle wheel.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\): What Is a Trundle Wheel?

A tool that surveyors use to measure distances is called a trundle wheel.

How does a trundle wheel measure distance?
Why is this method of measuring distances better than the methods we used in the previous lesson?
How could we construct a simple trundle wheel? What materials would we need?

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\): Building a Trundle Wheel

Your teacher will give you some supplies. Construct a trundle wheel and use it to measure the length of the classroom. Record:

the diameter of your trundle wheel
the number of clicks across classroom
the length of the classroom (Be prepared to explain your reasoning.)

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