Let’s get geeky…
Ever wondered how big mountains like Everest were measured back in the 1800s? It was time consuming and laborious, but the maths behind it is super simple.
Essentially triangles mapped the world (and mountain heights). And once this triangle was created, trigonometry was the tool for helping you find the unknown angles or distances (or heights), so you can plot the details of locations on your blank map.
Tools required? A serious piece of kit for measuring angles called a theodolite; a measuring system (like connecting 10m poles); and some paper for doing your calculations.
I share with you here a fun powerpoint I created which helps you see how an unknown mountain can be mapped using the simple magic of trigonometry. The final slide has all the geeky maths. I like to use it as an introduction to trig with classes aged 14 to 16.
Please enjoy!
MONSTER MOUNTAINS 