Pythagorean Theorem r1 - Elnino
Pythagorean Theorem r1 - Elnino
Discovering the
Pythagorean Theorem
INTRODUCTION
• Before the lesson, students attempt a task individually. You review their work and create
questions for students to answer in order to improve their solutions.
• A whole-class introduction poses the problem of finding the areas of ‘tilted squares’ drawn on a
square grid. Students share different approaches for calculating areas and are offered three
generalizable methods that they might use. Students are asked to find possible areas of ‘tilted
squares’ at a specific tilt. This requires a systematic approach.
• In a whole-class discussion results are shared and organized.
• In a follow-up lesson, students receive your comments on the assessment task and use these to
attempt the similar task, approaching it with insights gained from the lesson.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
• Each student will need a copy of the task sheets Square Areas, Tilted Squares, Proving the
Pythagorean Theorem, Square Areas (revisited), and multiple copies of the Dotted Grid Paper
(on demand).
• Each small group of students will need copies of the sheet Some Different Approaches.
• There are projector resources to help introduce activities and support whole-class discussions.
TIME NEEDED
20 minutes before the lesson, an 80-minute lesson (or split into two shorter lessons), and 20 minutes
in a follow-up lesson (or for homework.) Timings given are only approximate. Exact timings will
depend on the needs of your class.
Teacher guide Discovering the Pythagorean Theorem T-1
BEFORE THE LESSON
Estimates the area of the square (Q1 and Q2) • Do you think your method will give an exact
answer? Why?
For example: The student divides the first
diagram into squares and attempts to count them. • Can you think of a method that will give you a
more precise answer?
Or: The student uses a ruler to measure the length
• Can you find a way of calculating the area
of a side of the square.
without counting squares?
Or: The student determines there is a 4 by 4 • Dots are one unit apart. Can you find the area
square in the center of the shaded square. Then of the square in square units?
adds to this area an estimate for the areas of the
remaining four triangles (Q1.)
Dissects the square into smaller shapes (e.g. • Can you find a method of dividing the square
triangles), but these do not permit an accurate into smaller triangles, for which you know the
calculation (Q1 and Q2) base and the height of each triangle?
• Can you find a method where you don’t have
to divide the square up into smaller pieces?
Uses Pythagorean theorem to figure out the • Can you find a precise way of calculating the
areas area without using the Pythagorean theorem?
Has difficulty with the concept of variable. • y can be any value. Make sure your answer for
(Q3) the area includes y.
For example: The student assigns a particular • In questions 1 and 2, what were the values of
value to y, for example 9 as this forms a pattern y?
with previous questions. • What would the area be if y was 10? 100?
Show your method using y to represent other
numbers like these.
Has difficulty with algebraic notation (Q3) • Can you use your method from question 1 to
calculate the area?
Completes the task successfully • What other areas can you make by drawing
tilted squares on the dotted grid?
• What areas are impossible to make?
Can you show that these are impossible?
Do you agree with Simon’s statement that the area inside the
bold line is the same as the area of the tilted square?
Jason’s method leads to:
1
Area of square – area of four triangles = (2 + 3) 2 − 4 × × 2 × 3 =13 Simon
2
Kate’s dissection leads to:
Area of four triangles + square in the middle
1 €
= 4 × × 3× 2 + (3− 2)2 = 13
2 © 2011 MARS University of Nottingham S-3
2 2
Simon’s method leads directly to: Area of tilted square = 3 +2 = 13
Extending the lesson over two days
€
If you are taking two days to complete the unit then you may want to end the first lesson here. At the
start of the second day, briefly remind students of their previous work before moving on to the next
collaborative activity.
x 0 1 2 3 4 Comments
y
Collect results from the different pairs of students and assemble them into the table. If there are still
gaps, allocate different members of the class with squares to draw until you have about 5 rows and 4
columns.
Ask students if they have figured out a number pattern for each y-value. Record these on the board.
x 0 1 2 3 4 Comments
y
y x y x
x x
y y
1
x y
SOLUTIONS
Square Areas
1. The shaded area is given by 32 + 52 = 9 + 25 = 34 square units.
2. The area of a (3, 7) square is 32 + 72 = 9 + 49 = 58 square units.
3. The area of a (3, y) square is 32 + y2 = 9 + y2 square units.
The method used to deduce these answers may be similar to Jason’s, Kate’s or Simon’s methods
used in the lesson.
Proving the Pythagorean theorem
y x y x
x x
y y
1. The area of the whole square is equal in both diagrams. The shaded area is this whole square
minus four triangles in both diagrams. Thus, we are taking away equal quantities from equal
quantities. So the shaded areas are equal.
Teacher guide Discovering the Pythagorean Theorem T-8
2 2
2. The shaded area in the second diagram is easily seen as x + y .
2. Draw a 3 by 7 square.
Find its area.
Show all your reasoning.
3. Sketch a 3 by y square.
2. In pairs, see if you can find a quick way to figure out the areas of tilted squares.
What areas can you make by drawing squares on a grid?
Remember that you must always join dots to make the squares!
Jason
Kate
Simon
y x x y
Use what you have learned from the tilted squares problem to do the following:
1. Explain clearly and carefully how you know that the two shaded areas are equal.
3. If the two shorter sides of a right triangle have lengths x and y, what is the length of the longest
side? (This is called the hypotenuse).
2. Draw a 7 by 5 square.
Find its area.
Show all your reasoning.
3. Sketch a 7 by y square.
“I divided the
tilted squares into
four right triangles
and little squares
inside.”
y x y x
x x
y y
1
x y
Classroom Challenges
These materials were designed and developed by the
Shell Center Team at the Center for Research in Mathematical Education
University of Nottingham, England:
Malcolm Swan,
Nichola Clarke, Clare Dawson, Sheila Evans, Colin Foster, and Marie Joubert
with
Hugh Burkhardt, Rita Crust, Andy Noyes, and Daniel Pead
We are grateful to the many teachers and students, in the UK and the US,
who took part in the classroom trials that played a critical role in developing these materials
The classroom observation teams in the US were led by
David Foster, Mary Bouck, and Diane Schaefer
Thanks also to Mat Crosier, Anne Floyde, Michael Galan, Judith Mills, Nick Orchard, and Alvaro
Villanueva who contributed to the design and production of these materials
This development would not have been possible without the support of
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
We are particularly grateful to
Carina Wong, Melissa Chabran, and Jamie McKee
http://map.mathshell.org