Have you ever used a set square?

[MissVantaBlack]

Just musing...DD asked me for a new protractor today. I enquired as to whether the rest of her geometry set was okay, and she replied that she'd never used the two set squares. She's in Year 11.

Thinking about it, I don't remember using my set squares when I was at school either. I asked DH (maths, further maths A-levels) and he also hadn't!

So...have you ever used a set square? Would you know how to use one? And how many Olympic-sized swimming pools could we fill with all the unused set squares from our DC's geometry sets? 🙂

Not in maths but used in design & tech (woodwork).

I use mine for craft

In Diy projects I have

I have a giant one I use for measuring fabric squares/rectangles. Never used one at school or in any other circumstance.

Just asked my two kids, they’ve both used them in maths and technology.

You use it when you have lost your ruler.

I used a big one every day for 5 years as a pattern cutter. I also used one for 3 years on my degree.

I then went into teaching, and used the same large set squares with all my exam groups.

So, yes, l used one every day of my working life really.

you use it for tables and graphs, I use mine on the board several times a week

I use mine all the time for the set angles, I'm working with stained glass and it's brilliant to have a fixed angle that I can just cut without getting the protractor out.

Only as a ruler 🤷‍♀️

I use mine regularly. Pattern cutting. DIY. Craft. I have several in different sizes.
I even bought an enormous one (1.5m) to landscape my garden with.

I remember it being the most used tool in my maths lessons. I can’t really get my head round doing maths without a set square to be honest. How did you measure angles? Drew graphs? Quickly draw a triangle?

(Disclaimer: I wasn’t educated in the UK, so may be you had some other amazing tool I’m not aware of?)

Yes, I use them for DIY and craft projects, I've got a few different sizes.

No never used them. Protractor for angles and triangles and ruler for graphs.

How would you measure an angle with a set square?

This 😂

We had builders here, they had a giant set square they were using to mark things out with. Definitely a useful bit of kit for them.

Couldn’t you Pythagoras your garden instead?

I still use mine now!

I have used one for drawing parallel lines (butting one side against a ruler and sliding it up).
That's it. They're a bit of a waste really, kids should be able to buy sets with 1 pair of compasses and 2 protractors.

Yes for craft projects

That’s really interesting.

I would have just used a ruler for the graph, drawing a triangle, depends on the angles needed and for measuring angles you’d use a protractor. Unless there is a thing that does all of that?

In case of confusion, these are the set squares that come with the compasses and protractor in a U.K. geometry set.

Maths teacher who uses it as a make do ruler, and used it properly last 30+ years ago in her technicl drawing lesson.

Could see how I could use it in my quilting craft that I would like to do more of, so far all I have done is squares so used a template.

Frequently used when I was at school, we also used slide rules and log tables.
I am quite old!