 | The main characters in this children's story
are Sir Cumference, Radius, Lady Di of Ameter, and Geo of Metry.
These characters are weaved into an interesting adventure where Radius tries
to cure his father, Sir Cumference of a stomach ache. The first cure turned
his father into a dragon. So he must continue to search for a solution
which will bring his father back as a knight. |
| In searching for a cure, Radius find a contain
containing a poem about a circle's measure. Not understanding the poem
he seeks advice to understand it. After receiving some advice he
returns to his workshop and begins to measure some circles. He
measures the distance around each circle and the distance across each
circle. He continues to try to decipher the
poem. He fears that if he measures the wrong dose his father will
remain a dragon forever. |
| How much should the dose be? Just at the
knights were arrive Radius noticed the dragon had formed a circle with his
body. Interpreting the poem, Radius measures diameter of the circle (7
feet) and the distance around the circle (22 feet). Radius divides
these two measuremtns and gets 3 1/7. Radius gives the dragon 3 1/7
spoons full of the cure. Immediately the dragon is returned to a
knight. |
| In celebrating the return of his father, the
celebrate by eating pies. He found that every time the outside measure
was divided by the diameter the same number resulted: 3 1/7. He
named this special number pi, the word pie without the e. |
| This is a wonderful story to use when
introducing students to circle measurements and the special number pi. |
| This book would be appropriate for grades 4-8. |
| Available through Barnes
and Noble |
