The Robot Turn

Marcus and Beatrice are testing a small robot in their school club. They want it to follow a square route on the floor. Marcus sets the first instructions. Beatrice clears a space around the marked route.

The robot moves along one side and turns. Then it travels too far and misses the next corner. “That is not a square,” says Beatrice. Marcus stops the robot before it reaches a chair.

They check the distance in each instruction. The first side is short, but the second is much longer. “I copied the wrong number,” says Marcus. He changes the second distance to match the first.

They start again from the same spot. This time the first two sides match. At the third corner, the robot turns left instead of right. Beatrice points to the arrow in that instruction.

Marcus changes the arrow and resets the robot. It follows all four sides and comes back to its starting spot. Beatrice checks the shape on the floor. “Now we have a square,” she says.

They show their teacher the finished route. “We fixed one part at a time,” says Marcus. Beatrice saves their instructions. “Next week we can try a new shape,” she says. “But first we will check every turn.”