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Pythagoras Theorem Lesson

1. Pythagoras' theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. It can be used to calculate unknown side lengths and to determine if a triangle is a right triangle. 2. Pythagorean triples are sets of positive integers that satisfy Pythagoras' theorem. Examples include (3, 4, 5) and (5, 12, 13). Formulas can generate Pythagorean triples. 3. Pythagoras' theorem also applies to any regular figures placed on the sides of a right triangle, where the area of the figure on the hypotenuse equals the sum of the

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124 views3 pages

Pythagoras Theorem Lesson

1. Pythagoras' theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. It can be used to calculate unknown side lengths and to determine if a triangle is a right triangle. 2. Pythagorean triples are sets of positive integers that satisfy Pythagoras' theorem. Examples include (3, 4, 5) and (5, 12, 13). Formulas can generate Pythagorean triples. 3. Pythagoras' theorem also applies to any regular figures placed on the sides of a right triangle, where the area of the figure on the hypotenuse equals the sum of the

Uploaded by

Cruashai GTA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PYTHAGORAS’THEOREM

legs

1. Definitions.

Definitions
 A right angled triangle is a triangle which
has a right angle as one of its angles
 The side opposite the right angle is called
the hypotenuse and is the longest side of the triangle.
 The two other sides are called the legs of the triangle.

hypotenuse

2. Pythagoras’theorem.

Theorem
In any right angled triangle, the area of the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of
the squares on the other two sides.

a
Proof
On a square we draw 4 identical (congruent) right
angled triangles, as illustrated.
A smaller square is formed in the centre. b
Suppose the legs are of length a and b and the
c
hypotenuse has length c.
The total area of the large square =
4 × area of one triangle + area of smaller square,
𝑎×𝑏
⇔ (𝑎 + 𝑏)2 = 4 × ( ) + 𝑐²
2
⇔ 𝑎² + 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏² = 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑐²
⇔ 𝑎² + 𝑏² = 𝑐²

Note:
Another way to say Pythagoras’theorem is that “In a right angled triangle with hypotenuse c and legs a
and b, 𝑐² = 𝑎² + 𝑏²”. This equality is called Pythagoras’equality.

a. Use Pythagoras’theorem to calculate a length.


Example 1:
Find the length of the hypotenuse in ABC,
knowing that AB = 2 cm and BC = 3 cm.

Example2:
Find the length of the third side of CDE,
knowing that CD = 6 cm and DE = 5 cm.
PYTHAGORAS’THEOREM

b. Use the converse of Pythagoras’theorem to prove that a triangle has a right angle.

Converse of Pythagoras’theorem
If the length of the sides of a triangle obey Pythagoras’equality, this triangle is right angled.

Example 3:
Is the triangle with sides 5 cm, 12 cm and 13 cm right angled?
Example 4:
Is the triangle with sides 4 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm right angled?

c. Pythagorean triples.

Definition
The set of positive integers {𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐} is a Pythagorean triple if it obeys Pythagoras’equality.

Examples:
Well known Pythagorean triples are {3; 4; 5}, {5; 12; 13}, {6; 8; 10}.
Formulae can be used to generate Pythagorean triples.
An example is {2𝑛 + 1; 2𝑛² + 2𝑛; 2𝑛² + 2𝑛 + 1}. Prove that such triples obey Pythagoras’equality.

3. A final result.

Finally, the fact that Pythagoras’theorem is about squares is fairly well-known. What is not so well-known,
although it is fairly obvious once you have seen it, is that if you take any regular figure or similar figures
and place them on the sides of a right angled triangle, then the area of the figure on the hypotenuse is
equal to the sum of the areas of the figures on the two legs.
Look at the next picture and prove this result.

A
PYTHAGORAS’THEOREM

4. Word problems.

Problem 1
The slide at the playground has a height of 6 feet. The base of the slide measured on the ground is 8 feet.
What is the length of the sliding board?

Problem 2
The bottom of a 13-foot straight ladder is set into the ground 5 feet away from a wall. When the top of
the ladder is leaned against the wall, what is the distance above the ground it will reach?

Problem 3
In shop class, you make a table. The sides of the table measure 36" and 18". If the diagonal of the table
measures 43", is the table “square”? (In construction, the term “square” just means the table has right
angles at the corners.)

Problem 4
In the Old West, settlers made tents out of a piece of cloth thrown over a clothesline and then secured to
the ground with stakes forming an isosceles triangle. How long would the cloth have to be so that the
opening of the tent was 6 feet high and 8 feet wide?

Problem 5
A baseball “diamond” is actually a square with sides of 90 feet. If a runner tries to steal second base, how
far must the catcher, at home plate, throw to get the runner “out”? Given this information, explain why
runners more often try to steal second base than third.

Problem 6
Your family wants to purchase a new laptop with a 17” widescreen. Since the 17 inches represents the
diagonal measurement of the screen (upper corner to lower corner), you want to find out the actual
dimensions of the laptop. When you measured the laptop at the store, the height was 10 inches, but you
don’t remember the width. Calculate and describe how you could figure out the width of the laptop to
the nearest tenth inch.

Problem 7
During a football play, DeSean Jackson runs a straight route 40 yards up the side line before turning
around and catching a pass thrown by Michael Vick. On the opposing team, a defender who started 20
yards across the field from Jackson saw the play setup and ran a slant towards Jackson. What was the
distance the defender had to run to get to the spot where Jackson caught the ball?

Problem 8
In construction, floor space must be planned for staircases. If the vertical distance between the first and
second floors is 3.6 meters, and a contractor is using the standard step pattern of 28 cm wide for 18 cm
high, then how many steps are needed to get from the first to the second floor and how much linear
distance (ie “width” or “base”) will be needed for the staircase? What is the length of the railing that
would be attached to these stairs?

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