1512 Post #6: Euler's Formula

One of my favorite things about math is that it is what it is. There is little room for conflicting answers when everyone is following one path with the same information. Some of these formulas, like trying to calculate the measures of dent angles, can become very involved and tricky for adults. I cannot imagine what it is like for high school students, much less the students who are younger than that and picking it up.
Amidst the number spiral I kept getting sucked into; I found an "eye" for the hurricane in the sections of work that dealt with Euler's Formula. This site gives information on both polyhedrons, Euler, and the formulas that he inspired or conceived during his lifetime. V-E+F=2. If one takes the number of vertices in a shape and then subtracts the number of edges, and then adds the number of faces; the person should get an answer of 2. This formula can be flipped around to find the missing information if one of the three fields is blank. One example would be V+F=E+2.

Of course there is always a possibility for error when starting to deal with shapes that have many different faces, vertices, patterns, edges, etc. Continued practice is one way to ensure that the students will keep the information fresh in their minds. Many websites such as this one, offer lesson plans that other teachers have organized to provide different levels of depth to their class and freshen up assignments as well. Being able to introduce material like this is a good break from the mind confusion that is geometry.