Plane Figures: Divergent and Convergent Lines

Age
6-9.

Materials

 * Box of sticks
 * Supplies
 * Board
 * Also 4 figures of children: 2 happy, two sad and 4 one-way red arrows

Presentation

 * 1) The two parallel sticks may be left on the board for comparison.
 * 2) The directress fixes one stick horizontally.
 * 3) Two small, but different guide sticks are used to position the second stick.
 * 4) The guide sticks are set aside.
 * 5) Place the two unhappy children on the lines.
 * 6) These two children are very sad.
 * 7) They used to get along very well, but as they went along in life, the distance between them becomes greater and greater.
 * 8) Move the figures along the lines.
 * 9) That's why they look so unhappy.
 * 10) Replace the figures with one way arrows.
 * 11) These lines go only in one direction, the distance between the lines keeps increasing.
 * 12) Place extra sticks at the wide end, showing that the guide sticks would also need to increase in length.
 * 13) These are divergent lines. (Divergent &lt; diverge: Latin di-apart, separatelym and vergo - to incline 0r - Latin divergare &lt; devergere, de-opposite of con (together) and vergare, to direct oneself; thus to move away from each other).
 * 14) This term was coined in 1611 by Kepler to give the opposite of convergere which means to direct towards each other.