Pythagorean Theorem Proof
- Author:
- Megan Drake
Script
The main goal behind my project was to prove why and how the pythagorean theorem works rather than just going along with knowing a^2+b^2=c^2.
I first proved this in the normal way using squares with side lengths equivalent to the sides of a right triangle. I followed up by proving this for regular pentagons and also similar rectangles.
The first two sketches of the square and pentagon are dynamic, so you can move one of the points to show that no matter the side lengths the pythagorean theorem holds true.
The main reason this is different than using paper was it allowed me to explore this proof using shapes other than squares and also the fact that the first two sketches are dynamic.
In SMP 5, I used creating polygons with side lengths equivalent to the sides of a right triangle in Geogebra to help form my proof. I also used SMP 4 modeling with mathematics in the sense that I used prior knowledge, like the area of a square or rectangle, to help prove the pythagorean theorem. I also used SMP 8 repeated reasoning because I was able to use the same kind of reasoning in each sketch I created.
The thing I like best about my project is that it showed me that the pythagorean theorem holds true for polygons other than squares and it was fun customizing my sketches with my own choices of color.