Parallel Lines, Parallel Universe

How great are 3 day weekends?

I was walking around this afternoon trying to find examples of parallel lines and angles in the real world that might help my students see the relationships better (yes, this is really what math teachers do in their spare time).  All the examples everyone gave in class came back to me - the lines in the sidewalk, the train tracks, the painted lines that divide the street into lanes - there seems to be no end to models of parallel lines in the real world.  And I was thinking how abstract this concept may feel to some students, but how important it is in the physical world that lines that are meant to be parallel actually are (studs in construction, for example, and walls in houses).  While there are many examples of buildings that use lines that aren't parallel in their design to beautiful effect (as above),  we still need the floor to meet the wall at a right angle.

Here's a question - are the frets on a guitar parallel?  what about the strings?

See you tomorrow -

Ms. M