It's Hip to Be Square....or a Cube.

When you look around in your daily life, you will see an assortment of  shapes that are used for fashion, architecture, machinery and nature.  It is true that many shapes surround us in this world.  I would dare to say that none are as important as the square.

I know that it is difficult to imagine something that seems so unexciting to be important.  Why would I make such a bold statement.  I simply recognize that the square, and its 3-d brother, the cube, are vital for our measurement of other shapes and figures.  Without the use of the square and cube, we would have a very difficult time judging area and volume.

Imagine a world where volumes weren't measured in cubic units.  Perhaps we used another 3-d shape to determine volume...like the sphere.

"My new car has a very powerful engine, it can smoke the tires with the 383 spherical inch engine."

Because the square and the cube are so basic, they offer the easiest reference for people to visualize the area, or volume of other figures.  To truly understand, grasp, or calculate the area or volume of any shape, you must master the ability to calculate the area of a square, or the volume of a cube.  Then, you can use that knowledge to have a stronger understanding of areas and volumes of irregular shapes.

This is why we should give the square, and the cube, credit.  Without them, we would have a difficult time relating volumes and areas to one another.

Especially the guy with the 383 spherical inch engine.

CalcuNATION is a website featuring online calculators and educational resources for mathematics.  Other Mathematical Blogs ( CalcuNATION on EduBlogs and CalcuNATION on Blogger)