Maktab Perguruan Sarawak, Miri

January 2003

PRINCESS TRIANGLE

IDEA Gan Teck Hock / George M. Jacobs / Tiong King Kiong / Ang Jeng Chyi SCRIPT Gan Teck Hock / George M. Jacobs / Chang Yi / Sia Pong Won ILLUSTRATION Valentine Lim / Abdul Mutalib b. Musyan

PRINCESS TRIANGLE will help you to understand

the meaning of a triangle. Copyright © 2003 by Maktab Perguruan Sarawak. Published in Miri, Malaysia by

Maktab Perguruan Sarawak, Jalan Bakam, 98009 MIRI, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Who will inherit my throne...?

A long time ago, in a country called Shapelasia, there was a king who was very, very old and sick. Everyone in the country was worried about what was going to happen after the king died. The king had no children because his only child, a daughter, had died at birth 20 years ago, along with the king’s wife. So, there was no one to become the new king when the king died.

1

Find my princess ...

One day, the king told the Supreme Council a secret. The Princess, his daughter, did not die at birth 20 years ago. This was what really happened. When the princess was born, she looked very strange. Her body was shaped like a triangle. The king was very ashamed of his triangle-shaped daughter. So, he sent her to live in a place far, far away. He told no one where she was. 2

Princess Triangle has 3 sides ...

The Supreme Council asked the king where the princess was living. However, the king died before he could tell them where to find Princess Triangle.

3

Princess Triangle . . . please come home now!

The death of the king of Shapelasia was announced to the whole nation. At the same time, the Supreme Council asked Princess Triangle to return to the Palace immediately and become the Queen of Shapelasia.

4

Who is Princess Triangle?

Many young women wanted to be the queen. Very soon, many women came to the Palace. They all said that they were Princess Triangle.

5

They all have 3 sides!

The Chief Minister chose the three women who

looked most like a triangle.

6

Please help me !

He brought them to meet Sang Kancil, the wise

mousedeer. After thinking for a while, Sang

Kancil decided to ask the three “princesses” to

take some tests.

7

Ahh .. ha … one is not stable …

In the first test, all the “princesses” stood upside down. Sang Kancil noticed that one of the young women was not able to stand in a stable position because one of her sides was curved. According to Sang Kancil, all three sides of a triangle must be straight. So, Sang Kancil told the curved person: “You are not the real Princess Triangle. Please go home.”

8

Em …one leaks !

Triangles must have 3 straight sides. Sang Kancil also knew that any triangle should be a closed shape! So, the remaining two candidates were asked to jump into a river. This time, another 3-sided person was found not to be the real Princess Triangle because she had an open shape that let in water! Sang Kancil told the watery person: “You are not the real Princess Triangle. Please go home.”

9

This is the realPrincess Triangle !

Finally, the smart Sang Kancil declared that

the true Princess Triangle was the person

with 3 straight, closed sides.

10

We must carefor the people!

The Supreme Council was very happy. They immediately crowned Princess Triangle the Queen of Shapelasia. Although the new queen looked a little different, she was an intelligent and kind ruler. She decided to have elections and she was elected Prime Minister of Shapelasia. Since then, Shapelasia progressed tremendously and the people lived happily ever after! 11

Answer this question:

What are the 3 distinctive characteristics of a triangle?

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