Lisa Mattin (Trigonometry)

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National 5

TRIGONOMETRY

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CAREER JOURNEY SO FAR

Studied for degree and professional qualifications part time whilst working.

Early roles included working for private practice and also in the oil and gas industry.

Most of career has been working on the contracting side, working for a main building contractor.

Became a Director at 28 and a shareholder of the company at 38.

SUBJECTS STUDIED AT SCHOOL

FURTHER EDUCATION:

BSc in Quantity Surveying
Chartered Surveyor (MRICS)

Maths

Physics

Biology

A Levels in:

MEET LISA

Director, Brock Building Contractors

FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

To continue in the industry. It is constantly evolving and you never stop learning, so it is always interesting. I would also like to continue to share my knowledge with others to inspire them to be part of the construction industry and show them all it has to offer.

Q&A WITH LISA

What does your company/organisation do?

We are a main contractor who primarily work for local authorities, so we work in schools, hospitals, fire stations, libraries, etc. We also carry out healthcare work.

What types of activities do you do in your job?

I collate a lot of technical and financial information to prepare tenders or reports. I measure from drawings and on site to calculate costs and work out quantities of materials. I also carry out measurement for final accounts to ensure that we get paid for all the work carried out and that any changes are fairly measured and valued. My technical knowledge is used in managing sub-contractors to ensure that the work is carried out correctly and also to solve any issues on site.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

I don’t really have a typical day as my work is so varied. I may be in the office preparing bids to win a project, I may be working with figures and preparing final accounts, I may be carrying out site visits and dealing with technical issues with our contracts manager and people from our supply chain, or I may be attending meetings with clients.

What are your favourite things about your job?

No two days are the same and, even with all the experience I have, I still get the opportunity to learn new things.

HOW LISA USES TRIGONOMETRY AT WORK

I use trigonometry at work to calculate materials, for example the lengths of roof timbers for a roof.

ACTIVITIES

Problem 1

You are pricing a roofing project and need to calculate the meterage of rafters you need to allow for.

The drawing shows the roof in plan only but you are told that the pitch of the roof is 30 degrees. The plan of the building is 8 metres wide by 10 metres long.

This diagram explains what a rafter and a joist is. The rafters need to overhang by 300mm and both the rafters and joists are at 600 centres.

Please work out:

The total length of rafters in linear metres to the nearest whole metre.

View solution

Problem 2

A man is 1.8m tall.

He stands 50m away from the base of a building. His angle of elevation to the top of the building is 70°.

Calculate an estimate of the height of the building. Give your answer to an appropriate degree of accuracy.

Label the sides of the triangle o, a and h.

View solution