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Maths

Loci and Regions

Overview

Students build a visual and geometric understanding of loci, connecting it to constructions from earlier work and applying it to practical constraint problems.

Learning Objective
Students describe and construct loci (paths traced by a moving point satisfying a condition) and shade regions defined by multiple conditions.

Resources needed

  • Compass
  • Ruler
  • Sharp pencil
  • Plain paper

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 A locus is the set of all points satisfying a given condition. 'Where can you stand if you must always be exactly 3m from this wall?' (A line parallel to the wall, 3m away.) 'From this post?' (A circle, radius 3m.) Introduce the term with physical examples.
  2. 2 Display and construct each: (1) Fixed distance from a point → circle. (2) Fixed distance from a straight line → parallel lines (and semicircles at ends). (3) Equidistant from two points → perpendicular bisector. (4) Equidistant from two lines → angle bisector. Students sketch each.
  3. 3 Using compass and ruler: construct the locus of points 3cm from point P (circle, radius 3cm). Construct the locus of points equidistant from points A and B (perpendicular bisector). Students construct both neatly on plain paper.
  4. 4 A goat is tied to a post with a 4m rope. Shade the region it can reach. It is also at least 2m from a fence (draw the fence). Shade the region satisfying both conditions. 'The overlap of the two regions is where the goat can eat the grass.'
  5. 5 Region within 3m of P: distance from P ≤ 3 (solid boundary, shade inside). Region more than 2m from fence: distance from fence > 2 (dashed boundary — point is NOT on the boundary, shade outside). Students annotate their diagrams with correct boundary type.
  6. 6 A school wants to place a new building: it must be at least 20m from the sports hall, within 50m of the main entrance, and equidistant from two gates. Students mark the valid region using all three conditions.
  7. 7 Present a completed loci diagram with three errors (wrong boundary type, wrong region shaded, locus drawn as a line when it should be a circle). Students identify and explain each error.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Extend to 3D loci (sphere, cylinder)
  • Use scale drawings for real-world problems
  • Link to simultaneous inequalities on a coordinate plane
More information

Display: locus (plural: loci), equidistant, perpendicular bisector, region, boundary. Use: 'All points that are ___ away from ___ form a ___.'

Focus on circle and perpendicular bisector loci only. Provide pre-drawn diagrams for shading tasks. Allow larger scale diagrams for students with motor control difficulties.

Is the correct locus shape drawn (circle vs line vs bisector)? Is the boundary solid (≤) or dashed (>/<)? Is the correct region shaded? Are multiple conditions applied correctly?

Any compass and ruler suffice. Plain paper throughout. Problems can be done at any scale.

Students may draw a circle for 'equidistant from a line' rather than a parallel line. Reinforce: equidistant from a line → parallel line. Equidistant from a point → circle.