Activity Description Learn about how the Pythagorean Theorem works through investigating the standard geometric proof. Parameters: Sizes of the legs of the triangle.

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Squaring the Triangle

Place in mathematics curriculum:

This activity can be used to:

• introduce the Pythagorean Theorem
• explore the concept of area
• explore the nature of the angles in triangles

This activity allows the user to investigate the fundamental ideas behind the Pythagorean theorem and the nature of triangles. This activity would work well in groups of two for about fifteen to twenty minutes if you use the exploration questions and five to ten minutes otherwise.

Preparations for this activity:

• give implicit directions on what they are to do. For example "Today we are going to play with the Squaring the Triangle applet. We will be looking for patterns in the area of the squares, the angles, ... and we are going to see what we can discover."
• discuss the Pythagorean Theorem and define hypotenuse