Solving problem about area of triangle without using a formula

Abstract

The author selected one problem from TIMSS 2007 for pupils in the 8th grade and gave it to pupils in the 4th grade of primary school. How did the pupils approach it? Are the pupils able to solve the same task when they do not have a formula for this? The article presents children's solutions and focuses on problem solving without a formula.

Keywords

• area of triangle
• formula
• pupils' written solution
• reasoning