Visual Sense: Mixed Impressions

Trinomial Cube
Materials A box with 27 small prisms to represent the formula:
(a + b + c)3 = a3 + 3 a2b + 3 a2c + b3+ 3ab2+ 3 b2c + c3 + 3ac2 + 3bc2 + 6abc

Purposes  To build the cube

 Indirect introduction to algebra
 Indirect: sensorial proof of the formula (a+b+c)3
 Indirect preparation for finding cube root

Age 4 and up

Prerequisite Binomial cube

 Visual Sense: Mixed Impressions
Trinomial Cube

Presentation Presentation A:
1. Invite a child. “I would like to show you the trinomial cube.”
2. Show child where cube is kept and how to carry it with two hands.
3. Place cube on the table with red square of the lid in the upper right.
4. Show how to lift lid, place in U-left corner. Open/close each door.
5. Invite the child to repeat the entire sequence with the lid and doors.
6. “Watch what I do.” Open the cube again. Remove the top layer,
placing each cube to the left maintaining their same orientation.
7. Remove the second layer and place to the right of the first layer,
leaving a small space. Repeat for the third layer.
8. “Now I’ll show you how to build the trinomial cube.”
9. Use visual discrimination to choose and place a3 in the corner.
10. Look at and point to the red side; locate and place a2b – one on
each side of red cube. Build the rest of the layer from the inside out.
11. Build the second and third layers in the same manner: inside out.
12. Close the box.
13. Invite the child to repeat.

Presentation B (show at the same sitting if possible)

Same as presentation A, but change orientation of cubes and prisms,
and scatter them together.

Control of Error Mechanical, the cube won’t fit in the box

Following 1. Invite child to build the trinomial cube outside the box on the table.
Exercises 2. After the cube is built, show cutting the cube. Pull a third of the
cube from top to bottom. Pull top layer off bottom. The child will
see that no matter how you cut the cube, the pattern is the same.
3. Have the child organize the pieces by size. Invite the child to build
it by color (all red pieces first, then blue, etc) This is the sensorial
preparation for cube root.

Language None

Sensorial Games None

Pedagogical  This material was developed by Mario Montessori, who was

Notes fascinated with mathematics.