Mensuration: Perimeter and Circumference
Mathematics,
History & Sports
Class IX
Stadiums can
broadly be defined as places which can hold a large number of spectators,
usually for sporting events.
According to
different sources, the sword “stadium” derives itself from either the Greek
word “Stadion” or the French “Stade”.
I would
refer to go with the word “Stade” , plural of which is “Stades”
Stades was
the Greek unit of measurement and usually measures around 600ft or 180m. One
Stade was the distance covered in the Greek Footraces and so the exact size of
the ancient Greek course for the footrace , was one stade.
But
nowadays, the athletic track in a standard stadium measures 400m.
Eventually ,
this was the name which came to be identified with the type of structure where
footraces , and later, other sporting events , were held.
There are
many kinds of stadium which cater to specific needs of different sports and
other events. Though this is not something new.
A hippodrome
was a special stadium designed specifically for horse racing or Chariot racing
and the track was broad enough to accommodate four chariots.
This concept
was taken by the Romans who called the hippodromes as Circus.
Naumachia is a specially constructed basin
which was designed by Romans to mimic sea battles. Although, sometimes these
battles also took place in flooded amphitheatres.
Over the years
, different kinds of stadiums have developed to cater to differing needs. For
example, a Gridiron is a special kind of stadium for American Football.
A typical stadium is designed in such a manner that is can be used for many sports apart from just athletics.
Image 1
Keeping in
mind ,the latest obsession of children , Beyblade stadiums have been
designed . They are designed as Plastic tray like structures and freely are
available in the market.
There are
hundreds of versions of these stadiums and come in all shapes and sizes.
Image 2
Figure 3
Of course, the most famous stadium of them all ,is the Colosseum in Rome which was earlier called the Flavian Amphitheatre.
I was fortunate to visit this amazing wonder in 2017. 👧👧
Assignments:
Q1. Which is
the world’s largest stadium, according to area it covers?
Q2. Which is
the oldest stadium in the world?
Q3. Which
stadium has the largest seating capacity ?
Q4. What is
the relation between feet and metre?
Q5. Study the figure of the standard running track
shown in Figure 3. Using the concepts of Mensuration taught in class IX,
calculate the length of the inner most track.
Calculate
the value using the value of 
as 
and also 3.14
Are the values
different? If yes, then by how much?
Q6. Is the value obtained
in the above answer exactly equal to 400m? If no, then how can you explain the
difference in the answer?
Q7. A standard running
track has 8 lanes. Each lane is 4ft or 1.22m wide. Calculate the length of each
track.
Note: Figure 3 shows
only 5 tracks.
Q8 . How far apart should each
runner be on different tracks, so that each of them runs the same distance?
Q9. What is the shape
of the Colosseum? Research on the internet and find out the dimensions of the
Colosseum.
Q10. Give a brief
history of the Colosseum.
References:
· https://www.britannica.com/technology/stadium
· https://sportsvenuecalculator.com/knowledge/running-track/running-track-dimensions-and-layout-guide/