Rene'

THE FLY ON THE CEILING

When Rene' was a child, he was often sick, so the teachers at his boarding school let him stay in bed until noon.

He went on staying in bed until noon for almost all his life. While in bed, Descartes thought about math and philosophy.

One day, Descartes noticed a fly crawling around on the ceiling. He watched the fly for a long time. He wanted to know how to tell someone else where the fly was. Finally he realized that he could describe the position of the fly by its distance from the walls of the room.

When he got out of bed, Descartes wrote down what he had discovered. Then he tried describing the positions of points, the same way he described the position of the fly.

Descartes had invented the coordinate plane!

WHO IS RENE' DESCARTES?

Born in France on March 31, 1596.

Mathematician, scientist and philosopher.

Rene' was extensively educated, first at a Jesuit college at age 8, then earning a law degree at 22.

Following his law degree in 1618, Rene' spent time in the Netherlands with the peacetime army. It was here that he met Dutch scientist and philosopher, Isaac Beeckman who encouraged his studies in mathematics and set him on a course to apply mathematics and logic

to understanding the natural world.

WHAT IS RENE' DESCARTES' MAJOR CONTRIBUTION

TO MATHEMATICS?

Cartesian Coordinate System

Cartesian coordinates are used to locate a point in space by giving its relative distance from perpendicular intersecting lines. In coordinate geometry, all points, lines, and figures are drawn in a coordinate plane . By reference to the two coordinate axes, any point, line, or figure may be precisely located.

POSING A PROBLEM

Using the Cartesian Coordinate System and paying homage to Rene' Decartes.

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/eggtimer-countdown/

Rene' Descartes

LINK TO

CURRICULUM

REAL WORLD

APPLICATION

YEAR 7

Data Representation and interpretation

ACMSP170

Construct and compare a range of data displays

Linear and Non Linear Relationships

ACMNA178

Given coordinates, plot points on the cartesian plane, and find coordinates for a given point

The system of coordinates that Descartes invented is used in many modern applications.

On any map the location of a country or a city is usually given as a set of coordinates.

The location of a ship at sea and aircraft in the sky is determined by longitude and latitude, which is an application of the coordinate system to the curved surface of Earth.

Computer graphic artists create figures and computer animation by referencing coordinates on the screen.

The work of Descartes allows the conversion of geometry into algebra (and vice versa).

Thus, a pair of simultaneous equations can now be solved either algebraically or

graphically.

Allowed for the work of Newton and Leibniz’s discoveries of calculus.

Military and rescue services use the Cartesian coordinate system to

accurately describe

and locate people and places.

interactive learning

OUR SOLUTION

"I think, therefore I am"

Interactive Cartesian Plane

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/Graphit/

Coordinate Interactives

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/coordinates.html

Educreations

https://www.educreations.com/

What did you find?

Find out more about

Rene' Descartes

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP)

http://www.iep.utm.edu/descarte/

The Story of Mathematics

http://www.storyofmathematics.com/17th_descartes.html

Encyclopedia Britannica

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Descartes

1596 - 1650