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Corpus Y12MathsDP

The Sphere
Sphere Facts
Notice these interesting things:

r represents the radius.

It is perfectly symmetrical
All points on the surface are the
same distance "r" from the center
It has no edges or vertices (corners)
It has one surface (not a "face" as it isn't flat)
It is not a polyhedron

Largest Volume for Smallest Surface

Of all the shapes, a sphere has the smallest surface area for a volume. Or put another way it can contain the
greatest volume for a fixed surface area.

Example: if you blow up a balloon it naturally forms a sphere because it is trying to hold as much air as
possible with as small a surface as possible. Press the Play button to see.
In Nature
The sphere appears in nature when a surface wants to be as small as possible. Examples include bubbles and
water drops. Can you think of more?

Spheroid
The Earth
The Planet Earth, our home, is nearly a sphere, except that it is squashed a little at the poles. So, it is
technically a spheroid, but a very mild version of one.
Here is a more extreme spheroid:

Challenge
Can you construct a sphere out of 2D shapes?
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Corpus Y12MathsDP
1. Cut out 30 squares that are 15 cm x 15 cm. Be precise!
2. Punch a hole in all four corners of each square.
3. Connect the squares first in this shape.
4. Continue connecting squares…

Critical Thinking: Describe why nothing is truly round? (hint: What would
happen if you zoom on a dot of ink? )
FULL STOP ON INKJET PAPER @ 600x MAGNIFICATION