This is a Level 3 Geometry activity from the Figure It Out Series.
A PDF of the student activity is included.
Click on the image to enlarge it. Click again to close. Download PDF (194 KB)
Predicting results is an important part of this activity.
The angle that the cut is made on will affect the shape of the section. For example, a cut that is at right angles to the axis will give a circle as the cross section of a cone and a cylinder.
These right-angled cuts are much easier to predict than those that are slanted. When a slanted cut is used, the section is very much influenced by how and where the cut is made. A cut through a circle-based cone at a slant will give an ellipse as a section.
A parabola is formed by cutting through a circle-based cone parallel to a sloping side.
Examples of a parabola shape are:
1-3. Practical activities
4. The sections should look like this:
5. Practical activity
Printed from https://meaningfulmaths.nt.edu.au/mmws/nz/resource/slice-life at 11:40pm on the 26th February 2024