Folio Task- Maths and Abstract

Thinking
Luke van Gemert
TG: 05

Everyone has heard of the term copyright. It is the legal system that stops
companies from copying other companies. But how exactly does it work? Well, it
uses mathematics. Each line on a logo can be represented as a function. If
another company then has a logo with the same functions, it can be taken to
court and fined. So how does this logo making work?
Part 1 Setup
This part of the folio task can be used to get used to the concepts of using
mathematics to create a logo. A series of steps have been setup to create a wellknown logo.
a) Clearly label all four points on the graph.
b) Use algebra to find the point that divides AB in the ratio of 2 : 1. Mark this on the diagram as
point E.
c) Use algebra to find the point that divides BC in the ratio of 1 : 4. Mark this on the diagram as
point F.
d) What is the equation of the line through E and parallel to the right side?
e) What is the equation of the line through F and parallel to the bottom side?
f) Use algebra to find the point where these two lines meet. Mark it as point G.
g) Use algebra to find the equation of the line from A to G.
h) Shade the region ADCFG yellow and the region AGFB black
i) Use inequalities to describe the black region.

This is what it should look like after this step.

j)

Rotate the entire shape anticlockwise by 45. What logo have you created?

The Commonwealth bank logo has been recreated using functions. Below is a
table comparing the original vs the version that was made before. Because the
colours werent specified, they slightly vary.
Original

GeoGebra version

Part 2 What has been done?

The Danish flag can also be represented as functions and inequalities. The flag
looks like this:

Line
3

Line
8
Line
6
Line
2

Line
4
Line
5
Line
7

Figure 1

Line
1

Each line on the flag can be shown as a function, so the equation of the line can
be found. Below is a list of all the lines, each with their function:
Line 1: y = 0
Line 2: x = 0
All these lines make up the border of the flag.
Line 3: y = 7.57
Line 4: x = 10

Line 5:
y= 3.25
These lines make up the horizontal line of the flag.
Line 6:
y= 4.325
Line 7:
x= 3.25
These lines make up the vertical line of the flag.
Line 8:
x= 4.32

Using these functions, this diagram could be made:

Figure 2

The lines cross in the centre, giving 4 points of intersection. Take point c. Line 6
and 7 intercept here, and these are their functions:
Line 6: y= 4.325
Line 7: x= 3.25
Therefore;
Point

c=(3.25, 4.325)

These are the other intersections:

Point

F=(3.25, 3.25)

Point

E=(4.32, 3.25)

Point

D=(4.325, 4.32)

The areas that need to be shaded in different colours can be represented using
inequalities. Assuming the entire rectangle is shaded red;

Shade the following white:

y < 4.325
y > 3.25

Shade the following white:

x > 3.25
x < 4.32

If all these steps are followed accordingly, the Danish flag will appear.

Part 3 My turn
For this example, my own logo was designed. It has parallel lines, perpendicular
lines, and lines that are at a 45 degree angle.

Figure 3

This logo was broken down in GeoGebra, and figure 2 shows what it looks like.

Figure 4

The logo has been turned 45 degrees anti-clockwise to make it easier to work
with.

First of all, we need to find the equations for the edges of the logo. These are all
vertical and horizontal lines, meaning that the equations will all be either x= or
y=.

Line AB
Y=0
Line BD
X = 10
Line CD
Y = 10
Line AC
X= 0

Now that these lines are found, line BC can also be found. Two points on the line
are known, (0, 10) and (10, 0). From this, the equation of the line can be found
by finding the slope of the line and then replacing variables in the equation with
numbers that are known.
Slope formula:

m=

y 1 y 2
x 1x 2

m=

010
100

m=-1
Now that the slope of the line has been found to be equal to -1, the equation of
the line can be calculated.

y=mx +c
To find c, the formula has to be rearranged, and at least one point and the slope
have to be used. We can replace the y and x variables in the equation with the x
and y from one point. Variable m can be replaced with the slope, or in this case
-1. When this is done, the equation looks like this:

0=1 ( 10 ) +c
To find c, the formula needs to be rearranged, which is done here.
1(10) + 0

10 = c
c, Or the y-intercept, is equal to 10. The equation of the line is:

y=1 x +10

The next line in the logo is line g. To find this, the midpoint formula needs to be
used to find the midpoint on line BC:
Midpoint formula =

M =(

x 1+ x 2 y 1+ y 2
,
)
2
2

Once the values have been put into the equation, it looks like this:

M =(

0+10 10+ 0
,
)
2
2

M =( 5,5)

This point is labelled on figure 2 as point E.

The last line on the logo is line g, which is line ED.
This line is perpendicular to line BC, meaning that the slope is equal to 1. The
equation of the line looks like this:

y=1 x+ c
The only unknown variable is c. To find that, we have to put in the values for y
and x.

10=1 ( 10 ) +c

10+ 10=

c=0
The y-intercept is equal to 0.
The equation of the line is therefore:

y=1 x+ 0

, or y=x .

There is one more line where the equation of the line needs to be found, line g.
We know it is a horizontal line, and it is exactly at the midpoint of line BC. This
means that the y value of the line is always 5. Therefore, the equation of the line
is:

y=5
Now that all the lines are identified, inequalities can be used to show which area
of the logo need to be shaded.
Everything below line CB needs to be shaded blue, so this equation can be used:

y <1 x +10
y >0
x> 0
The inequality states that y is smaller than -1x+10, which then makes all the
points in that area a possibility. If all those points are shaded blue, then that area
becomes blue. The other two are the border lines. Every point that has an x and
y value larger than 0 has to be shaded, unless the y value is larger than -1x +10.
This technique can be used for all the other parts of the logo that need to be
shaded.
Shade this area orange:

y <5

x< 10
y >1 x +10
Shade this area green:

y >1 x +10
y>x
y <10
Shade this area blue:

y >5
y<x
x< 10

Now the entire figure can be rotated clockwise 45 degrees, and the original logo
will appear.

Conclusion
The logo was a simple, clean design that could be used by any company. It has
been represented mathematically, meaning it can be copyrighted and safely
used. Although it is simple, it can be an effective logo if the colours were
changed to suit a certain company. In the example, these colours were only used
because can be easily differentiated from each other, making it easier to work
with.