What Do You See Here?
- Author:
- Tim Brzezinski, Jed Butler
In the applet below, you'll notice a RIGHT TRIANGLE (shown in white) with colorful squares built off its 2 legs. There is a blank (white) square built off its hypotenuse.
1) Drag the gray slider all the way to the right.
2) What do you notice? Describe in detail!
3) Now, drag the slider all the way back to the left side.
4) Move the vertices (corners) of the right triangle around so that the right triangle doesn't stay the same as the right triangle you started with.
5) Drag the gray slider all the way down to the right. What do you notice? Describe in detail!
6) Repeat steps (3) - (5) as many times as you wish?
7) Can you make a general statement about the area of the square built off the shorter leg,
the area of the square built off the longer leg, and the area of the square built off the hypotenuse?
Write this statement in a complete sentence, and be prepared to share this statement with the rest of the class!