Circle’s Ontology Extended: Circumference and Surface Area of a Circle

Abstract

In this paper, we present how the use of ontologies and modern information technology tools helped students to connect geometrical meanings with mathematical concepts, based on the properties of circles and regular polygons ontologies, aiming to find the circumference and the surface area of a circle. In order to evaluate this concept, an experiment was set up in a junior high school classroom. The ontology, via abstract and combined thinking, helped the students to have a better understanding of the geometrical meanings and their dynamic interconnections.