# SLOP4408 — Week 3: Think in Three Dimensions

Campus / printable lab pack · Semester 1, 2027

## The task

Reconnect a service module from its diagram. Identify whether a mismatch comes from the observer's view, module rotation or floor level.

In-person teaching is preferred. The paper route is a complete conceptual activity when apparatus is unavailable; online students use the equivalent controls and keep the same learning record.

After the direction and level checks pass, **seat the aligned service module** against the target on your paper or physical model. Mark the connected passage gate open, then have a partner check both port directions and the level and record **Passage connected**. A solo learner records this as a self-check. Keep the before/after connection sketch.

## Learning outcomes

- Keep world directions fixed while the object or viewpoint changes.
- Predict both labelled ports before rotating and test the prediction.
- Diagnose direction and level errors separately using a transformation record.

## Equipment

One asymmetric L-shaped connector card, a labelled north arrow and three level sheets. Tactile or spoken orientation descriptions provide an equivalent route.

## Facilitator setup

Cut an L-shaped card with north/east ports and one marked original north tip. Draw three floor levels. Rotate clockwise in quarter-turns; move the same card between levels without turning it.

## Complete supplied rules

**Where to find the named materials:** These labels identify the supplied material on this page and in the combined campus pack; they are not separate files you need to locate. **SP-01** is the labelled north/east connector and fixed coordinate convention. **SP-02** supplies the target directions and floor levels for the three phases.

- The connector begins with ports pointing north and east on level 0.
- A rotation moves the connector clockwise by 90 degrees; its handedness remains unchanged.
- Practice target: ports east/south, level 0. Skill check: south/west, level 1. Transfer: west/north, level 2.
- Moving up a level changes position but not orientation. Levels cycle 0 → 1 → 2 → 0.
- Before testing, state where the original north port points. World directions remain fixed when the camera changes.

## Two-hour schedule

These are the teaching session's time blocks, not six compulsory game objectives. Adjust timing as needed; reasoning matters more than speed.

| Time | Activity |
| --- | --- |
| 0–10 minutes | Compare the scene and diagram; identify their reference frames. |
| 10–30 minutes | Predict the marked port in the alternate example before it turns. |
| 30–60 minutes | Work in pairs: one predicts, one operates, then exchange roles. |
| 60–80 minutes | Independently meet the second target; separate direction and height adjustments. |
| 80–105 minutes | Reconcile the third target from a changed viewpoint. |
| 105–120 minutes | Keep the transformation sketch and a counterexample to confusing rotation with translation. |

## Worked example · a different scenario

The separate dome example begins with north and west ports. One clockwise quarter-turn maps them to east and north. The demonstrator then raises the connector from level 0 to level 2 without changing those directions. When a later target calls for level 1 with the same ports, only height changes. A similar-looking mirrored substitute is rejected by checking its labels. In your assigned browser task, the controls test rotation and height; use the fixed compass and the original labelled port to justify both.

[Watch this separate example and inspect its finished record](/demonstrations/lab-03/).

The example explains a method. Its completed decisions are not the assigned task. Use the materials above for your own choices.

## Practice

Predict both labelled ports, rotate the card and compare with the first target.

## Skill check

Meet the second target independently and explain whether each correction changes orientation or height.

## Transfer challenge

Apply the third target from a changed viewing position. Give an equivalent text model for someone unable to see the card.

## Student record

**Named output: spatial-model.**

Keep a before/after sketch or text model, the prediction made before manipulation, an alternative configuration and evidence separating a level error from an orientation error.

Record your name/role, phase and scenario, prediction before action, evidence requested, result, decision, alternative and remaining uncertainty. Include assistance, format used and any physical-model limitation. Keep a failed attempt that explains a revision.

After the direction and level checks pass, **seat the aligned service module** against the target on your paper or physical model. Mark the connected passage gate open, then have a partner check both port directions and the level and record **Passage connected**. A solo learner records this as a self-check. Keep the before/after connection sketch.

## Explanation — reveal after an attempt

One, two and three clockwise quarter-turns move the north port to east, south and west respectively. Translation to another level does not rotate it. Matching a silhouette without tracking a labelled port can conceal a reflection or orientation error.

A facilitator judges the reasoning. The record's existence and the model's successful result do not by themselves establish learning.

## Reflection and later use

Which labelled port helped you check the rotation, and how did you verify height separately?

A1 relates an unfamiliar workshop diagram to its connector. A physical final recovery may need this capability; a digital operation need not invent a transport problem.

## Evidence and limitations

Save **spatial-model** with your explanation. Physical activities are proposed teaching designs, not hardware-tested equipment. Distinguish model-card results from actual measurements. Neither browser success nor paper completion establishes physical dexterity or classroom enjoyment. A dated station record is sufficient; a duplicate browser run is not required.

## Printable model sheet

[Printable connector and mechanism sheet](./spatial-mechanism-sheet.svg). Print at 100% on A4 and check the labelled 50 mm line. These are conceptual paper aids, not physically validated apparatus.