Contextualization

Quadrilaterals are geometric figures of great relevance in mathematics and, consequently, in our daily lives. They consist of a polygon with four sides, whose sum of internal angles is always 360 degrees. But don't stop here! There is still much more to learn!

There are different types of quadrilaterals that vary according to their properties. We have the parallelograms (rectangle, rhombus, and square), trapezoids (trapezoids and rectangular trapezoids), and other types of quadrilaterals that cannot be classified in any of the previous groups. Thus, each of these quadrilaterals has unique characteristics and properties that distinguish them from each other, and these properties are what make the study of quadrilaterals so fascinating.

But why is this important? Well, quadrilaterals are used in many practical applications, from architecture and engineering, where they are used to design and plan spaces, to art, where quadrilaterals help create patterns and figures. They are an essential tool in geometry, allowing us to solve a wide range of problems, whether it's finding the area of a rectangular field or the distance between two cities on a map.

To learn and deepen your knowledge about quadrilaterals, you can use the following resources:

• Mathematics World Education: This resource provides an overview of quadrilaterals, with information and details on the various types and their properties.

• Educaplus – Quadrilaterals: This interactive resource presents the types of quadrilaterals and their properties, as well as an exercise section for you to test what you have learned.

• Mathematics Zup - Quadrilaterals: On this website, you will find a series of articles and activities on quadrilaterals.

Remember, math is like a puzzle - every little piece you learn helps make sense of the big picture.

Practical Activity: "The City of Quadrilaterals"

Project Objective

In this project, you and your group will create a model of a city where all its elements (buildings, squares, streets, etc.) are represented by different types of quadrilaterals. The goal will be to identify, classify, and correctly use the various types of quadrilaterals to design the components of your city.

Detailed Project Description

1. Discussion phase: Together, the group should discuss the organization of the city, defining where the buildings, streets, squares, etc. will be.

2. Planning phase: Each student will be responsible for drawing a certain number of components of the city, identifying the type of quadrilateral used.

3. Assembly phase: After all the components have been drawn, the group will meet again to assemble the model of the city.

4. Presentation phase: Finally, the group should produce a report presenting the city, identifying the types of quadrilaterals used, and explaining why they were chosen.

Required Materials:

• Colored pencils, colored pens, or markers.
• Cardstock or cardboard.
• Ruler, compass, and protractor.
• Adhesive tape or glue.

Detailed Step-by-Step

1. After defining the organization of the city together, each member of the group should draw the components assigned to them, clearly identifying the type of quadrilateral used in each drawing (parallelogram, trapezoid, etc.) on the cardstock or cardboard.

2. Use the colors and markers to highlight the different types of quadrilaterals in each drawing.

3. Once all the components of the city have been drawn, use the adhesive tape or glue to assemble the model of the city as planned.

4. Finally, all members of the group should collaborate in preparing the report. The report should contain an introduction explaining the project, a development section where each member of the group explains the quadrilaterals used in their drawings, their properties, and why they were chosen, and a conclusion where the group will explain what they learned during the project.

Project Deliverables

Practical:

• The model of the city, fully drawn and assembled, with the different types of quadrilaterals identified.

Theoretical (Written Report):

The written report should be divided into four main topics:

1. Introduction: Explain what the project is about, the theme "quadrilaterals" and its application in the real world (such as in architecture, engineering, etc.). It should also identify the main objective of the project.

2. Development: Detail the theory on quadrilaterals, specifying each type used, their properties, and why they were chosen for each part of the city. It should also describe the process of creating the model of the city, explaining step-by-step how it was done. The results should highlight what was learned in terms of classifying and identifying quadrilaterals.

3. Conclusion: Summarize what was learned during the project. Talk about the experience of learning about quadrilaterals in a practical way, the collaboration and communication among the members of the group, and what learning each one brought to each other.

4. Bibliography: Indicate all the sources that were used to learn about quadrilaterals and to carry out the project.

This activity should be developed over a period of one month, with each student dedicating between five and ten hours of work. The workload will be proportional to the size of the group, and larger groups should present more complex cities, with a greater number of different types of quadrilaterals represented.