GSP Teaching Math PDF

Teaching Mathematics with
Dynamic Geometry Software

for Exploring Mathematics
Teaching Notes
Sample Activities
Windows/Macintosh
Key Curriculum Press

Key College Publishing
Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

Limited Reproduction Permission
2002 Key Curriculum Press. All rights reserved. Key Curriculum Press grants the teacher
who purchases Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad the right to reproduce
activities and example sketches for use with his or her own students. Unauthorized copying
of Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad is a violation of federal law.
The Geometers Sketchpad, Dynamic Geometry, and Key Curriculum Press are
registered trademarks of Key Curriculum Press. Sketchpad is a trademark of Key
Curriculum Press. All other brand names and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
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ISBN 1-55953-582-2
Contents
Teaching Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 1
The Geometers Sketchpad and Changes in Mathematics Teaching .......................................
Where Sketchpad Came From ........................................................................................................
Using Sketchpad in the Classroom ................................................................................................
A Guided Investigation: Napoleons Theorem ............................................................................
An Open-Ended Exploration: Constructing Rhombuses ..........................................................
A Demonstration: A Visual Demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem ............................
1
2
3
4
5
6
Using Sketchpad in Different Classroom Settings ......................................................................

A Classroom with One Computer .................................................................................................
One Computer and a Projection Device ........................................................................................
A Classroom with a Handful of Computers ................................................................................
A Computer Lab ................................................................................................................................
7
7
7
7
8
Using Sketchpad as a Presentation Tool ....................................................................................... 8

Using Sketchpad as a Productivity Tool ....................................................................................... 9
The Geometers Sketchpad and Your Textbook ........................................................................ 10
Sample Activities ............................................................................................................................... 11

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................
Angles ................................................................................................................................................
Constructing a Sketchpad Kaleidoscope ....................................................................................
Properties of Reflection ..................................................................................................................
Tessellations Using Only Translations ........................................................................................
The Euler Segment ..........................................................................................................................
Napoleons Theorem ......................................................................................................................
Constructing Rhombuses ...............................................................................................................
Midpoint Quadrilaterals ................................................................................................................
A Rectangle with Maximum Area ...............................................................................................
Visual Demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem ................................................................
The Golden Rectangle ....................................................................................................................
A Sine Wave Tracer .........................................................................................................................
Adding Integers ..............................................................................................................................
Points Lining Up in the Plane ...................................................................................................
Parabolas in Vertex Form ..............................................................................................................
Reflection in Geometry and Algebra ...........................................................................................
Walking Rex: An Introduction to Vectors .................................................................................
Leonardo da Vincis Proof .............................................................................................................
The Folded Circle Construction ....................................................................................................
2002 Key Curriculum Press
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Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad iii
The Expanding Circle Construction ............................................................................................

Distances in an Equilateral Triangle ............................................................................................
Varignon Area .................................................................................................................................
Visualizing Change: Velocity ........................................................................................................
Going Off on a Tangent .................................................................................................................
Accumulating Area .........................................................................................................................
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Activity Notes for Sample Activities ................................................................................. 75
iv Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad
Teaching Notes
If youve read the Learning Guide, youve learned
how to use The Geometers Sketchpad and
youve probably discovered that the range of
things you can do with the software is greater
than you first imagined. For all its potential
uses though, Sketchpad was designed primarily
as a teaching and learning tool. In this section,
we establish a context for Sketchpad in
geometry teaching and offer suggestions for
using Sketchpad in different ways in different
classroom settings. More than 20 sample
activitiestouching on a range of school
mathematics topicsfollow these teaching notes.
By exploring the sample documents that are
installed with the software, youll find even more
ideas. Try them with your students for a sense of
how Sketchpad can serve your classroom best.
1+ = 1/
Although it remains a matter of dispute, some architects and

mathematicians believe the Parthenon was designed to utilize the
Golden Mean. This sketch shows how the Parthenon roughly fits into
a Golden Rectangle.
The Geometers Sketchpad and Changes in

Mathematics Teaching
The way we teach mathematicsgeometry in particularhas changed, thanks to a few
important developments in recent years. Alternatives to a strictly deductive approach are
available after more than a century of failing to reach a majority of students. (The National
Assessment of Educational Progress found in 1982 that doing proofs was the least liked
mathematics topic of 17-year-olds, and less then 50% of them rated the topic as important.)
First, in 1985, Judah Schwartz and Michal Yerushalmy of the Education Development Center
developed a landmark piece of instructional software that enabled teachers and students to
use computers as teaching and learning tools rather than just as drillmasters. The Geometric
Supposers, for Apple II computers, encouraged students to invent their own mathematics
by making it easy to create simple geometric figures and make conjectures about their
properties. Learning geometry could become a series of open-ended explorations of
relationships in geometric figuresa process of discovery that motivates proof, rather
than a rehashing of proofs of theorems that students take for granted or dont understand.
In 1989, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published Curriculum and
Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (the Standards) which called for significant changes
in the way mathematics is taught. In the teaching of geometry, the Standards called for
decreased emphasis on the presentation of geometry as a complete deductive system and
a decreased emphasis on two-column proofs. Across the curriculum, the Standards called
for an increase in open exploration and conjecturing and increased attention to topics in
transformational geometry. In their call for change, the Standards recognized the impact
that technology tools have on the way mathematics is taught, by freeing students from
time-consuming, mundane tasks and giving them the means to see and explore interesting
relationships.
By publishing the first edition of Michael Serras Discovering Geometry: An Inductive Approach
in 1989, Key Curriculum Press joined the forces of change. Discovering Geometry, a high
school geometry textbook, takes much the same approach that the creators of The Geometric
Supposers espoused: Students should create their own geometric constructions and
themselves formulate the mathematics to describe relationships they discover. With
Discovering Geometry, students working in cooperative groups do investigations using tools
of geometry to discover properties. Students look for patterns and use inductive reasoning to
make conjectures. They arent expected to prove their discoveries until after theyve mastered
Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 1
geometry concepts and can appreciate the significance of proof. Now in its second edition,
Discovering Geometry lets students take advantage of a broader range of tools, including patty
papers and The Geometers Sketchpad.
This approach is consistent with research done by the Dutch mathematics educators Pierre
van Hiele and Dina van Hiele-Geldof. From classroom observations, the van Hieles learned
that students pass through a series of levels of geometric thinking: Visualization, Analysis,
Informal Deduction, Formal Deduction, and Rigor. Standard geometry texts expect students
to employ formal deduction from the beginning. Little is done to enable students to visualize
or to encourage them to make conjectures. A main goal of The Supposers, Discovering
Geometry, and, now, The Geometers Sketchpad is to bring students through the first three
levels, encouraging a process of discovery that more closely reflects how mathematics is
usually invented: A mathematician first visualizes and analyzes a problem, making
conjectures before attempting a proof.
The Geometers Sketchpad established the current generation of educational software
that has accelerated the change begun by The Geometric Supposers and that was spurred on
by publications like Discovering Geometry and the NCTM Standards. Sketchpads unique
Dynamic Geometry enables students to explore relationships interactively so that they
can see change in mathematical diagrams as they manipulate them. With this breakthrough,
along with the completeness of its construction, transformation, analytic, and algebraic
capabilitiesas well as the unbounded extensibility offered by its custom toolsSketchpad
broadens the scope of what its possible to do with mathematics software to an extent
never seen before. In the ten years of its existence, teachers have taken Sketchpad outside
the geometry classroom and into algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and middle-school
mathematics courses; and ongoing development of the software has refined it for these
wider uses. The Dynamic Geometry paradigm pioneered by Sketchpad has been so widely
embracedby mathematics and educational researchers, by teachers across the curriculum,
and by millions of studentsthat the 2000 edition of the Standards now call for Dynamic
Geometry by name. Concurrent development of Macintosh, Windows, Java, and handheld
versions of Sketchpad in a number of different languages ensures the most powerful and
up-to-date geometry tool is always available to a wide variety of school computing
environments throughout the world.
Where Sketchpad Came From

The Geometers Sketchpad was developed as part of the Visual Geometry Project, a National
Science Foundationfunded project under the direction of Dr. Eugene Klotz at Swarthmore
College and Dr. Doris Schattschneider at Moravian College in Pennsylvania. In addition to
Sketchpad, the Visual Geometry Project (VGP) has produced The Stella Octangula and The
Platonic Solids: videos, activity books, and manipulative materials also published by Key
Curriculum Press. Sketchpad creator and programmer Nicholas Jackiw joined the VGP in the
summer of 1987. He began serious programming work a year later. Sketchpad for Macintosh
was developed in an open, academic environment in which many teachers and other users
experimented with early versions of the program and provided input to its design. Nicholas
came to work for Key Curriculum Press in 1990 to produce the beta version of the software
tested in classrooms. A core of 30 schools soon grew to a group of more than 50 sites as word
spread and more people heard of Sketchpad or saw it demonstrated at conferences. The
openness with which Sketchpad was developed generated an incredible tide of feedback
and enthusiasm for the program. By the time of its release in the spring of 1991, it had been
used by hundreds of teachers, students, and other geometry lovers and was already the most
talked about and awaited piece of school mathematics software in recent memory.
2 Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad
In Sketchpads first year, Key Curriculum Press began to study how the program was being
used effectively in schools. Funded in part by a grant for small businesses from the
National Science Foundation, this research is reflected in these teaching notes, in curriculum
materials, and in new versions of Sketchpad. Version 2 of the program, released in April
1992, introduced improved transformation and presentation capabilities and brought tools
for the graphical exploration of recursion and iteration into the hands of Sketchpad users.
Version 3 for Macintosh and Windows, a major upgrade released in April 1995, expanded the
programs analytic and graphing capabilities. By 1999, the Teaching, Learning, and Computing
national teacher survey conducted by the University of California, Irvine, found that the
nations mathematics teachers rated Sketchpad the most valuable software for students by
a large margin. Version 4 of the software, introduced in the fall of 2001, dramatically expands
the programs usefulness in algebra, pre-calculus, and calculus classes, while increasing both
the ease of use in earlier grades and the softwares curriculum development authoring tools.
Classroom research continues to form the basis for further development of the software and
accompanying materials.
Using Sketchpad in the Classroom

The Geometers Sketchpad was designed initially primarily for use in high school
geometry classes. Testing has shown, though, that its ease of use makes it possible for
younger students to use Sketchpad successfully, and the power of its features has made it
attractive to instructors of college-level mathematics and teacher pre-service and inservice
courses. College instructors are drawn particularly to Sketchpads powerful transformation
capabilities and to custom tools allowing students to explore non-Euclidean geometries. Even
artists and mechanical drawing professionals have been enthralled by Sketchpads power
and elegance. Its a testament to the versatility of the software that the same tool
can be used by six-year-olds and college professors to explore new mathematical concepts.
(Be sure to browse the sample documents that come installed with Sketchpad for additional
tools that help particularize the program to your classroom needs. Youll find tools for
constructing regular polygons, defining mathematical symbols, exploring non-Euclidean
geometries, composing and combining functions, and much more.) In this section, well
concentrate on ways Sketchpad might be used in a high school geometry class.
As a high school geometry teacher, you may want to guide your students toward
discovering a specific property or small set of properties, or you may want to pose an
open-ended question or problem and ask students to try to discover as much as they can
about it. Alternatively, you may want to prepare for students an interactive demonstration
that models a particular concept. In any case, youll want students to collaborate and
communicate their findings. Sketchpads annotation features encourage students to articulate
mathematical ideas. Whatever approach you take to using Sketchpad, it can serve as a
springboard for discussion and communication. Well look at examples of three approaches
to using Sketchpad in the classroom: a guided investigation, an open-ended exploration, and
a demonstration. These three examples come from Exploring Geometry with The Geometers
Sketchpad, 1999 by Key Curriculum Press.
A Guided Investigation: Napoleons Theorem

The purpose of this investigation is to guide students to some specific conjectures. They are
given instructions to construct a figure with certain specifically defined relationships: in this
case, a triangle with equilateral triangles constructed on its sides. Students manipulate their
construction to see what relationships they find that can be generalized for all triangles. After
this experimentation, students are asked to write conjectures.
An important aspect of this
and, in fact, anySketchpad
investigation is that by
manipulating a single figure
a student can potentially see
every possible case of that
figure. Here they have visual
proof that the Napoleon
triangle of an arbitrary triangle
is always equilateral, even as
the original triangle changes
from acute to right to obtuse,
from scalene to isosceles to
equilateral.
Suggestions are made for
further, open-ended investigation for students who finish
first. In this Explore More
suggestion, students can
discover that the segments in
question are congruent, are
concurrent, and intersect to
form 60 angles.
Napoleons Theorem
Name(s):
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fancied himself as something of an

amateur geometer and liked to hang out with mathematicians. The
theorem youll investigate in this activity is attributed to him.
Sketch and Investigate
One way to
construct the center
is to construct two
medians and their
point of intersection.
Select the entire

figure; then choose
Create New Tool
from the Custom
Tools menu
in the Toolbox
(the bottom tool).
1. Construct an equilateral triangle. You can use a pre-made custom tool

or construct the triangle from scratch.
2. Construct the center of the triangle.
3. Hide anything extra you may have constructed to
construct the triangle and its center so that youre
left with a figure like the one shown at right.
4. Make a custom tool for this construction.
Next, youll use your custom tool to construct equilateral triangles on the
sides of an arbitrary triangle.
5. Open a new sketch.
6. Construct ABC.
Be sure to attach
each equilateral
triangle to a pair of
triangle ABCs
vertices. If your
equilateral triangle
goes the wrong way
(overlaps the interior
of ABC) or is not
attached properly,
undo and try
attaching it again.
7. Use the custom tool to construct

equilateral triangles on each side
of ABC.
8. Drag to make sure each equilateral
triangle is stuck to a side.
9. Construct segments connecting the

centers of the equilateral triangles.
10. Drag the vertices of the original triangle
and observe the triangle formed by the
centers of the equilateral triangles. This
triangle is called the outer Napoleon triangle of ABC.
After students have discussed

their findings in pairs or
Q1 State what you think Napoleons theorem might be.
small groups, its important
to discuss them as a large
group. Ask students to share
Explore More
any special cases theyve
1. Construct segments connecting each vertex of your original triangle
discovered, and use your
with the most remote vertex of the equilateral triangle on the opposite
questions to emphasize
side. What can you say about these three segments?
which relationships can be
generalized for all triangles:
Was the Napoleon triangle
always equilateral even as
you changed your original triangle from being acute to being obtuse? Were the three
segments you constructed in Explore More congruent and concurrent no matter what shape
triangle you had? In this wrap-up you can introduce vocabulary or special names for
properties students discover (for example, the point of concurrency they discover in Explore
More is called the Fermat point) and agree as a class on wording for students conjectures as a
way of checking for understanding.
An Open-Ended Exploration: Constructing Rhombuses

In an open-ended exploration there is not a specific set of properties that students are
expected to discover as outcomes of the lesson. A question or problem is posed with a few
suggestions about how to use Sketchpad to explore the problem. Different students will
discover or use different relationships in their constructions and write their findings in their
own words.
In this example, students
are asked to come up with
as many ways as they can
to construct a rhombus.
Again, various construction
methods should be discussed
in small groups, then with
the whole class. To bring
closure to the lesson you
might want to compile on
the chalkboard a list of all
the properties your students
used. Offering students an
open-ended construction
problem also gives you the
opportunity to emphasize
the important distinction
between a drawing and a
construction. For example,
if students have actually
used defining properties
of a rhombus in their
constructions, it should be
possible to manipulate their
figure into any size or shape
rhombus and it should be
impossible to distort the
figure into anything thats
not a rhombus.
Constructing Rhombuses
Name(s):
How many ways can you come up with to

construct a rhombus? Try methods that use
the Construct menu, the Transform menu, or
combinations of both. Consider how you might
use diagonals. Write a brief description of each
construction method along with the properties
of rhombuses that make that method work.
D
B
C
A
Method 1:
Properties:
Method 2:
Properties:
Method 3:
Properties:
Method 4:
Properties:
A Demonstration: A Visual Demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem

A teacher (or for that matter, a student) can use Sketchpad to prepare a demonstration for
others to use. Sometimes a complex construction can nicely show a property, but it might be
impractical to have all students do the construction themselves. In that case, teachers might
use a demonstration sketch accompanied by an activity sheet.
Before using this demonstration,
students can actually discover
the Pythagorean theorem
themselves in a guided investigation. The purpose of this
lesson, though, is as a demonstration of a visual proof of
the theorem. The sketch used
in the lesson is a pre-made
sketch of some complexity.
Students arent expected to
create this construction
themselves to discover the
Pythagorean theorem, but
they have a chance with this
demonstration to look at it in
a new and interesting way.
This demonstration might be
done most efficiently as a
whole-class demonstration
with you or a student working
at an overhead projector.
Alternatively, you could
reproduce the activity master
for students to use on their
own time or at the end of a lab
period in which theyve been
doing other investigations
related to the Pythagorean
theorem.
Visual Demonstration of the

Pythagorean Theorem
Name(s):
In this activity, youll do a visual demonstration of the Pythagorean

theorem based on Euclids proof. By shearing the squares on the sides of a
right triangle, youll create congruent shapes without changing the areas
of your original squares.
All sketches
referred to in this
booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
Samples | Teaching Mathematics
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
application itself.)

1. Open the sketch Shear Pythagoras.gsp.
Youll see a right triangle with squares
on the sides.
Click on a polygon
interior to select it.
Then, in the
Measure menu,
choose Area.
2. Measure the areas of the squares.

3. Drag point A onto the line thats
perpendicular to the hypotenuse.
Note that as the square becomes a
parallelogram its area doesnt change.
4. Drag point B onto the line. It should

overlap point A so that the two
parallelograms form a single
irregular shape.
To confirm that this

shape is congruent,
you can copy and
paste it. Drag the
pasted copy onto
the shape on the
legs to see that
it fits perfectly.
c
b
5. Drag point C so that the large square deforms to fill in the triangle.
The area of this shape doesnt change either. It should appear
congruent to the shape you made with the two smaller
parallelograms.
C
C
C
c
b
A
B

works for any right
triangle, change
the shape of the
triangle and try the
experiment again.
Q1
c
b
A
B
Step 3
c
b
Step 4
Step 5
How do these congruent shapes demonstrate the Pythagorean

theorem? (Hint: If the shapes are congruent, what do you know about
their areas?)
Using Sketchpad in Different Classroom Settings

Schools use computers in a variety of classroom settings. Sketchpad was designed with this
in mind, and its display features can be optimized for these different settings. Teaching
strategies also need to be adapted to available resources. What follows are some suggestions
for using and teaching with Sketchpad if youre in a classroom with one computer, one
computer and an overhead display device, a handful of computers, or a computer lab.
A Classroom with One Computer

Perhaps the best use of a single computer without a projector is to have small groups of
students take turns using the computer. Each group can investigate or confirm conjectures
made working at their desks or tables using standard geometry tools such as a compass and
straightedge. In that case, each group would have an opportunity during a class period to use
the computer for a short time. Alternatively, you can give each group a day on which to do
an investigation on the computer while other groups are doing the same or different
investigations at their desks. A single computer without a projection device or large-screen
monitor has limited use as a demonstration tool. Although preferences can be set in
Sketchpad for any size or style of type, a large class will have difficulty following a
demonstration on a small computer screen.
One Computer and a Projection Device

A variety of devices are available that plug into computers so that the display can be output
to a projector, a large-screen monitor, an LCD device used with an overhead projector, or a
large-format touch panel. The Geometers Sketchpad was designed to work well with these
projection devices, increasing your options considerably for classroom uses. You or a student
can act as a sort of emcee to an investigation, asking the class as a whole things like, What
should we try next? Where should I construct a segment? Which objects should I reflect?
What do you notice as I move this point? With a projection device, you and your students
can prepare demonstrations, or students can make presentations of findings that they made
using the computer or other means. Sketchpad becomes a dynamic chalkboard on which
you or your students can draw more precise, more complex figures that, best of all, can be
distorted and transformed in an infinite variety of ways without having to erase and redraw.
Many teachers with access to larger labs also find that giving one or two introductory
demonstrations on Sketchpad in front of the whole class prepares their students to use it in a
lab with a minimum of lab-time lost to training. For demonstrations, we recommend using
large display text in a bold style and formatting illustrations with thick lines to make text and
figures clearly visible from all corners of a classroom.
A Classroom with a Handful of Computers

If you can divide your class into groups of three or four students so that each group has
access to a computer, you can plan whole lessons around doing investigations with the
computers. Make sure of the following:
That you introduce the whole class to what it is theyre expected to do.
That students have some kind of written explanation of the investigation or problem
theyre to work on. Its often useful for that explanation to be on a piece of paper on
which students have room to record some of their findings; but for some open-ended
explorations the problem or question could simply be written on the chalkboard or
typed into the sketch itself. Likewise, students written work could be in the form of
sketches with captions and comments.
That students work so that everybody in a group has an opportunity to actually operate
the computer.
That students in a group who are not actually operating the computer are expected to
contribute to the group discussion and give input to the student operating the computer.
That you move among groups posing questions, giving help if needed, and keeping
students on task.
That students findings are summarized in a whole-class discussion to bring closure to
the lesson.
A Computer Lab
The experience of teachers in using Sketchpad in the classroom (as well as the experience of
teachers using The Geometric Supposers) suggests that even if enough computers are
available for students to work individually, its perhaps best to have students work in pairs.
Students learn best when they communicate about what theyre learning, and students
working together can better stimulate ideas and lend help to one another. If you do have
students working at their own computers, encourage them to talk about what theyre doing
and to compare their findings with those of their nearest neighborthey should peek over
each others shoulders. The suggestions above for students working in small groups apply to
students working in pairs as well.
If your laboratory setting has both Macintosh computers and computers running Windows,
your students can read sketches created on one type of machine with the other. Use PCformatted disks (Macintoshes can read them, but Windows PCs cannot read Mac-formatted
disks) or a network to exchange documents between platforms.
Using Sketchpad as a Presentation Tool

Youll find that Sketchpads featuresespecially its text capabilities, multi-page document
structure, and action buttonsmake it ideally suited for teacher and student presentations.
Sketchpad provides a powerful medium for mathematical communication.
With the Text tool, students and teachers can annotate their sketches with captions that
describe salient features of a construction. Captions can highlight properties that a
construction demonstrates, or they can provide instructions for manipulating a construction,
including what to look for as the construction changes. In this way, students and teachers can
communicate about what theyve done in a sketch.
Teachers and students can use action
buttons to simplify complex sketches.
Buttons can be used to show and hide
geometric objects and text or to initiate
animations. Buttons can also be
sequenced so that procedures
and explanations of a construction
can be played with the click of a
button. In other words, action buttons
turn sketches into presentations.
The Circle Squared

D. Bennett 7.6.01
Given a segmentAB, I've constructed
a square and a circle with equal areas.
First I constructed a square with side
length AB. Then I calculated the radius
of a circle with the same area. Finally, I
translated the center of the square by
that quantity and constructed the
circle.
m AB = 1.347 in.
(m AB)2
= 0.760 in.
Radius
Area
CC' = 0.760 in.

CC' = 1.815 in2
Area ABA'B' = 1.815 in2
Text and action buttons make possible

presentations without presenters: A
sufficiently annotated sketch could
Press the action buttons to transform
speak for itself when opened by
the figure.
another user at a time when the sketch
creator isnt around to explain it. A
square me!
circle me!
presentation, in this context, is not
A
necessarily designed for a group
audience looking at an overhead
display. The audience for an annotated
A Captioned Sketch
sketch might be a fellow student or a
teacher. Teachers who ask students to
hand in assignments in the form of sketches can ask students to create presentations using
action buttons and to explain their work in captions.
C'
B
Sketchpads web integration facilities allows you to draw on the full resources
of the Internet. Action buttons allow you to link to web resources to provide additional
explorations, survey real-world applications, or establish the historical context of a particular
mathematics exploration. In addition, if youre interested in publishing web pages of your
own, Sketchpad allows you to export your activities to the web, where you can integrate
them with the full set of multimedia components and hyperlinked resources available to
web page authors, and share them over the net with users across the world. Users who visit
your web page will be able to interact with your pages Dynamic Geometry illustrations
whether they have Sketchpad or not!
By browsing through the sample documents that come with Sketchpad you can get ideas for
different ways sketch captions can be used to communicate mathematically.
Using Sketchpad as a Productivity Tool

The Reference Manual describes how to use the Edit menu to cut, copy, and paste Sketchpad
objects into other applications, such as graphics or word processing programs. These features
make Sketchpad an extremely useful productivity tool for anyone, including teachers and
students, who wants to easily create and store geometric figures. Teachers, for example,
can create figures in Sketchpad and paste them into a test or worksheet created in a word
processing program. All of the graphics in the sample activities and most of the graphics
in the documentation were created in Sketchpad and pasted into Microsoft Word.
Sketchpad stores objects in the clipboard both as Sketchpad objects, which behave as such
when pasted back into a sketch, and graphic images, which are recognized by virtually any
program that deals with graphics. Sketchpad graphics will act exactly like images produced
in most other graphics programs and will give excellent results when printed. If youre
writing a book or article that will be printed professionally, Sketchpad graphics can even be
output on a typesetting machine with very high quality results. Lines and rays are truncated
when pasted into other programs, just as they are when printed in Sketchpad.
Solve for x and y:
5 in.
8 cm
10 cm
x
y
You can save Sketchpad sketches as libraries of figures that you use
in tests and worksheets. Then you can easily change figures if you
need variations. You can edit labels and type in measurements of
angles and lengths. Even figures that you might find easier to draw
by hand have the advantage, when done with Sketchpad, that they
can be saved, easily modified, and used again and again.
Excircles of a Triangle
The Geometers Sketchpad and Your Textbook

The variety of ways Sketchpad can be used makes it the ideal tool for exploring school
mathematics, regardless of the text youre using. Use Sketchpad to demonstrate concepts
presented in the text. Or have students use Sketchpad to explore problems given as exercises.
If your text presents theorems and proves them (or asks students to prove them) along the
way, give your students an opportunity to explore the concepts with Sketchpad before you
require them to do a proof. Working out constructions using Sketchpad and interacting with
diagrams dynamically will deepen students understanding of concepts and, in formal
contexts, will make proof more relevant.
Sketchpad is ideally suited for use with books that take a discovery approach to teaching
and learning geometry. In Michael Serras Discovering Geometry, for example, students
working in small groups do investigations and discover geometry concepts for themselves,
before they attempt proof. Many of these investigations call for constructions that could be
done with Sketchpad. Many other investigations involving transformations, measurements,
calculations, or graphs can also be done effectively and efficiently with Sketchpad. In fact,
most investigations in Discovering Geometry or any other book with a similar approach can
be done using Sketchpad.
The Discovering Geometry student text includes ten Geometers Sketchpad Projects and
numerous Investigations and Take Another Look suggestions for using Sketchpad. More
than 60 lessons best-suited for exploration with Sketchpad were adapted and collected as
blackline masters in the ancillary book Discovering Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad.
These Sketchpad lessons have the same titles and guide students to the same conjectures
as the corresponding Discovering Geometry lessons. A collection of Sketchpad documents
accompany this book on CD-ROM. The Discovering Geometry Teachers Resource Book comes
with demonstration sketches corresponding to Discovering Geometry lessons.
Ancillary Sketchpad materials are also available for some secondary texts from other
publishers, though for a geometry course, none provide as complete a technology package
as Key Curriculum Presss Discovering Geometry combined with The Geometers Sketchpad.
If youre using a text other than Discovering Geometry, ask the publisher whether Sketchpad
ancillaries are available.
Exploring Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad, available from Key Curriculum Press,
contains more than 100 reproducible activities that can be used with any text. A CD-ROM
with activities for Macintosh and Windows computers accompany the activities. Many other
topic-specific volumes of activities are also available from Key Curriculum Press. Sample
activities from some of these books are included in this booklet. These books are listed and
described on the back cover of this booklet.
Exploring Geometry could supply a teacher with a years worth of activities to cover nearly all
the content of a typical high school geometry course using The Geometers Sketchpad. And
other activity books could occupy a large part of the year in other mathematics courses, too.
We dont, however, advocate that you abandon other teaching methods in favor of using
the computer. Its our belief that students learn best from a variety of learning experiences.
Students need experience with hands-on manipulatives, model building, function plotting,
compass and straightedge constructions, drawing, paper and pencil work, and most
importantly, group discussion. Students need to apply mathematics to real-life situations
and see where it is used in art and architecture and where it can be found in nature. Though
Sketchpad can serve as a medium for many of these experiences, its potential will be reached
only when students can apply what they learn with it to different situations. As engaging as
using Sketchpad can be, its important that students dont get the mistaken impression that
mathematics exists only in their books and on their computer screens.
Sample Activities
Introduction
These sample classroom activity masters will give you an idea of some of the types of learning experiences
that are possible using The Geometers Sketchpad. In the Teaching Notes, you saw three different types of
lessons from Exploring Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad: an investigation, an exploration, and a
demonstration. Here youll find more activities from Exploring Geometry along with samples from other Key
Curriculum Press publications. This collection is neither a complete curriculum nor a comprehensive set of
activities to keep you and your students occupied for a school year.
The topics of the activities range from creating geometric art to calculus. Their difficulty ranges from being
appropriate for middle school students to presenting challenges to college undergraduate math majors. There
are 25 activities here, and youre obviously not going to be able to use them all with the same class. While we
certainly hope that teachers will find some of the activities in this sample useful in their classes, the collection
here is designed to show you a range of possibilities.
Exploring Geometry contains over 100 activities. That volume does represent a nearly complete curriculum,
though we would caution teachers from overusing it. (See Teaching Notes, page 10.)
The list below shows the names of activities sampled here and the titles of the books theyre from.
From Geometry Activities for Middle School
Students with The Geometers Sketchpad
Angles
Constructing a Sketchpad Kaleidoscope
From Exploring Geometry with The Geometers
Sketchpad
Properties of Reflection
Tessellations Using Only Translations
The Euler Segment
Napoleons Theorem
Midpoint Quadrilaterals
Points Lining Up in the Plane

Parabolas in Vertex Form
Reflection in Geometry and Algebra
Walking Rex: An Introduction to Vectors
From Pythagoras Plugged In
Leonardo da Vincis Proof
From Exploring Conic Sections with The
Geometers Sketchpad
The Folded Circle Construction
The Expanding Circle Construction
From Rethinking Proof with The Geometers
Sketchpad
A Rectangle with Maximum Area
Distances in an Equilateral Triangle
Visual Demonstration of the Pythagorean

Theorem
Varignon Area
The Golden Rectangle

A Sine Wave Tracer
From Exploring Algebra with The Geometers
Sketchpad
From Exploring Calculus with The Geometers

Sketchpad
Visualizing Change: Velocity
Going Off on a Tangent
Accumulating Area
Adding Integers
Try some or all of these activities yourself and with your students to explore Sketchpads potential and learn
how you can use it in the classroom. (You may reproduce these sheets for use with your classes.) Then join us
in creating the most comprehensive teacher support materials ever to accompany new classroom software
materials that reflect what teachers and students can accomplish with state-of-the-art teaching and learning
tools.
If youre interested in contributing worksheets, sample sketches, or custom tools for possible inclusion in
future teacher materials and sample disks, contact the Editorial Department at Key Curriculum Press.
Angles
Name(s):

2. Construct a triangle.
3. Extend one side by constructing a ray using two vertices.
C
D
B
4. Measure each of the interior angles.

5. Go to the Measure menu and choose Calculate. Use Sketchpads
calculator to determine the sum of the three interior angles.
Q1
Drag any vertex of the triangle and observe the measures of the
interior angles and their sum.
Write any conjectures based on your exploration.
6. Click somewhere on the ray outside the triangle to construct a point.

Measure the exterior angle.
7. Use Sketchpads calculator to determine the sum of the two interior
angles that are not adjacent to the exterior angle.
Q2
Drag any vertex of the triangle and compare the measure of the
exterior angle to the sum of the two remote (nonadjacent) interior
angles.
Write any conjectures based on your exploration.
From Geometry Activities for Middle School Students with The Geometers Sketchpad
Constructing a Sketchpad Kaleidoscope
Name(s):
Follow the directions below to construct a Sketchpad kaleidoscope. The

numbered steps tell you in general what you need to do, and the lettered
steps give you more detailed instructions. Make sure you did each step correctly
before you go on to the next step.
1. Open a new sketch and construct a many-sided polygon.
a. Go to the File menu and choose New Sketch.
b. Use the Segment tool to construct a polygon with many
sides (make it long and somewhat slender).
2. Construct several polygon interiors within your polygon.
Shade them different colors.
a. Click on the Selection Arrow
tool. Click in any blank space
to deselect objects.
b. Select three or four points in
clockwise or counter-clockwise
order.
c. Go to the Construct menu and
choose Triangle Interior or
Quadrilateral Interior.
Step b
Step c
Step e
d. While the polygon interior is still selected, go to the Display menu and
choose a color for your polygon interior.
e. Click in any blank space to deselect objects. Repeat steps b, c, and d until you
have constructed several polygon interiors with different colors or shades.
3. Mark the bottom vertex point of your polygon as the center. Hide the points
and rotate the polygon by an angle of 60.
a. Click in any blank space to deselect objects.
b. Select the bottom vertex point. Go to the Transform menu and choose
Mark Center.
c. Click on the Point tool. Go to the Edit menu and choose Select All Points.
Go to the Display menu and choose Hide Points.
Constructing a Sketchpad Kaleidoscope (continued)

d. Click on the Selection Arrow tool.
Use a selection marquee to select
your polygon. Go to the Transform
menu and choose Rotate.
e. Enter 6 0 and then click Rotate.
(Pick a different factor of 360 if
you wish.)
selection marquee
after 60 rotation
Rotate Dialog Box (Mac)
4. Continue to rotate the new rotated images

until you have completed your kaleidoscope.
a. While the new rotated image is still selected, go
to the Transform menu and rotate this image
by an angle of 60. Remember to click Rotate.
b. When the newer rotated image appears, and
while it is still selected, go to the Transform menu and rotate this image by an
angle of 60. Remember to click Rotate.
c. Repeat this process until you have constructed your complete kaleidoscope.
d. Go to the Display menu and choose Show
All Hidden. You should see the points
on the original arm reappear.
5. Construct circles with their centers at the
center of your kaleidoscope.
control point
a. Click in any blank space to deselect all

objects.
b. Click on the Compass tool. Press on the
center point of your kaleidoscope and drag
a circle with a radius a little larger than the
outside edge of your kaleidoscope.
control point
control point
Constructing a Sketchpad Kaleidoscope (continued)

c. Using the Compass tool, construct another circle with its center at the
center of your kaleidoscope, but this time let the radius be about half
the radius of your kaleidoscope. Repeat for a circle with a radius about
one-third the radius of your kaleidoscope.
Note: Make sure you release your mouse in a blank space between two arms of your
kaleidoscope. You do not want the outside control points of your circles to be
constructed on any part of your kaleidoscope.
6. Merge points of your kaleidoscope onto the three circles.
a. Click on the Selection Arrow tool. Click in
any blank space to deselect objects.
merged points
b. Select one point on the original polygon

near the outside circle and select the outside
circle (do not click on one of the control
points of the circle). Go to the Edit menu
and choose Merge Point To Circle.
c. Click in any blank space to deselect
all objects. Repeat step b. for the middle
circle and a point near the middle circle.
Do this one more time for the smallest
circle and a point near the smallest circle.
7. Animate points of your kaleidoscope on the
three circles.
a. Click in any blank space to deselect all objects.
b. Select the three points you merged onto
circles in the previous step.
c. Go to the Edit menu, choose
Action Button, and drag to the
right and choose Animation. Click
on OK in the Animate dialog box.
Animate Points
d. When the Animate Points button appears,

click on it to start the animation. Watch
your kaleidoscope turn!
e. To hide all the points, click on the
Point tool. Go to the Edit menu and
choose Select All Points. Go to the
Display menu and choose Hide Points.
Click on the Compass tool, select all the circles, and hide them.
Properties of Reflection
Name(s):
When you look at yourself in a mirror, how far away does your image in
the mirror appear to be? Why is it that your reflection looks just like you,
but backward? Reflections in geometry have some of the same properties
of reflections you observe in a mirror. In this activity, youll investigate the
properties of reflections that make a reflection the mirror image of the
original.
Sketch and Investigate: Mirror Writing
1. Construct vertical
line AB.
2. Construct point C
to the right of
the line.
Double-click on
the line.
3. Mark dAB as a
mirror.
C'
4. Reflect point C to
construct point C.
Select the two
points; then, in the
Display menu,
choose Trace
Points. A check
mark indicates that
the command is
turned on. Choose
Erase Traces
when you wish to
erase your traces.
5. Turn on Trace Points for points C and C.

6. Drag point C so that it traces out your name.
Q1
What does point C trace?
7. For a real challenge, try dragging point C so that point C traces out
your name.
Select points C and
C. In the Display
menu, youll see
Trace Points
checked. Choose it
to uncheck it.
Sketch and Investigate: Reflecting Geometric Figures

8. Turn off Trace Points for
points C and C.
9. In the Display menu, choose

Erase Traces.
D'
10. Construct jCDE.

Select the entire
figure; then, in the
Transform menu,
choose Reflect.
11. Reflect jCDE (sides and

vertices) over dAB.
E'
12. Drag different parts of either

triangle and observe how the
triangles are related. Also drag
the mirror line.
A
C'
From Exploring Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad

Properties of Reflection (continued)

13. Measure the lengths of the sides of triangles CDE and CDE.
Select three points
that name the angle,
with the vertex your
middle selection.
Then, in the
Measure menu,
choose Angle.
Your answer to Q4
demonstrates that a
reflection reverses
the orientation
of a figure.
Line Width is in
the Display menu.
You may wish to

construct points of
intersection and
measure distances
to look for relationships between the
mirror line and the
dashed segments.
14. Measure one angle in jCDE and measure the corresponding angle
in jCDE.
Q2
What effect does reflection have on lengths and angle measures?
Q3
Are a figure and its mirror image always congruent? State your
answer as a conjecture.
Q4
Going alphabetically from C to D to E in jCDE, are the vertices

oriented in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction? In what
direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) are vertices C, D, and E
oriented in the reflected triangle?
15. Construct segments connecting

each point and its image: C to C,
D to D, and E to E. Make these
segments dashed.
16. Drag different parts of the sketch
around and observe relationships
between the dashed segments and
the mirror line.
Q5
D'
E'
C
A
C'
How is the mirror line related to a

segment connecting a point and its
reflected image?
Explore More
1. Suppose Sketchpad didnt have a Transform menu. How could you
construct a given points mirror image over a given line? Try it. Start
with a point and a line. Come up with a construction for the reflection
of the point over the line using just the tools and the Construct menu.
Describe your method.
2. Use a reflection to construct an isosceles triangle. Explain what
you did.
Tessellations Using
Only Translations
Name(s):
In this activity, youll learn how to construct an irregularly shaped tile

based on a parallelogram. Then youll use translations to tessellate your
screen with this tile.
Sketch
1. Construct sAB in the lower left corner of your
sketch, then construct point C just above sAB.
Select, in order,
point A and point B;
then, in the
Transform menu,
choose Mark
Vector. Select
point C; then, in the
Transform menu,
choose Translate.
2. Mark the vector from point A to point B and

translate point C by this vector.
C'
A
Steps 13
3. Construct the remaining sides of your

parallelogram.
C
C'
A
Step 4
C'
Step 5
C'
C'
Step 6
Step 7
4. Construct two or three connected segments from point A to point C.

Well call this irregular edge AC.
5. Select all the segments and points of irregular edge AC and translate
them by the marked vector. (Vector AB should still be marked.)
6. Make an irregular edge from A to B.
7. Mark the vector from point A to point C
and translate all the parts of irregular
edge AB by the marked vector.
Select the vertices in
consecutive order;
then, in the
Construct menu,
choose Polygon
Interior.
8. Construct the polygon interior of the

irregular figure. This is the tile you
will translate.
9. Translate the polygon interior by the
marked vector. (You probably still
have vector AC marked.)
10. Repeat this process until you have
a column of tiles all the way up
your sketch. Change the color on
every other tile to create a pattern.
C'
B
Steps 810

Tessellations Using Only Translations (continued)

11. Mark vector AB. Then
select all the polygon
interiors in your column
of tiles and translate them
by this marked vector.
12. Continue translating
columns of tiles until
you fill your screen.
Change shades and
colors of alternating
tiles so you can see
your tessellation.
C'
B
Steps 11 and 12
13. Drag vertices of your original tile until you get a shape that you like
or that is recognizable as some interesting form.
Explore More
1. Animate your tessellation. To do this, select the original polygon (or
any combination of its vertex points) and choose Animate from the
Display menu. You can also have your points move along paths you
construct. To do this, construct the paths (segments, circles, polygon
interiorsanything you can construct a point on) and then merge
vertices to paths. (To merge a point to a path, select both and choose
Merge Point to Path from the Edit menu.) Select the points you wish
to animate and, in the Edit menu, choose Action Buttons | Animation.
Press the Animate button. Adjust the paths so that the animation
works in a way you like, then hide the paths.
2. Use Sketchpad to make a translation tessellation that starts with a
regular hexagon as the basic shape instead of a parallelogram.
(Hint: The process is very similar; it just involves a third pair of sides.)

The Euler Segment
Name(s):
In this investigation, youll look for a relationship among four points of

concurrency: the incenter, the circumcenter, the orthocenter, and the
centroid. Youll use custom tools to construct these triangle centers, either
those you made in previous investigations or pre-made tools.
Triangle
Centers.gsp
can be found
in Sketchpad |
Samples |
Custom Tools.
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open a sketch (or sketches) of yours that

contains tools for the triangle centers:
incenter, circumcenter, orthocenter, and
centroid. Or, open Triangle Centers.gsp.
2. Construct a triangle.
3. Use the Incenter tool on the triangles
vertices to construct its incenter.
4. If necessary, give the incenter a label that identifies it, such as I for
incenter.
5. You need only the triangle and the incenter for now, so hide anything
extra that your custom tool may have constructed (such as angle
bisectors or the incircle).
6. Use the Circumcenter tool on the
same triangle. Hide any extras
so that you have just the triangle,
its incenter, and its circumcenter.
If necessary, give the circumcenter
a label that identifies it.
I
O
Ce
Ci
7. Use the Orthocenter tool on the

same triangle, hide any extras,
and label the orthocenter.
8. Use the Centroid tool on the same triangle, hide extras, and label
the centroid. You should now have a triangle and the four triangle
centers.
Q1
Drag your triangle around and observe how the points behave.
Three of the four points are always collinear. Which three?
9. Construct a segment that contains the three collinear points. This is

called the Euler segment.

The Euler Segment (continued)
To measure the
distance between
two points, select the
two points. Then, in
the Measure menu,
choose Distance.
(Measuring the
distance between
points is an easy
way to measure
the length of part
of a segment.)
Q2
Drag the triangle again and look for interesting relationships on the
Euler segment. Be sure to check special triangles, such as isosceles and
right triangles. Describe any special triangles in which the triangle
centers are related in interesting ways or located in interesting places.
Q3
Which of the three points are always endpoints of the Euler segment
and which point is always between them?
10. Measure the distances along the two parts of the Euler segment.
Q4
Drag the triangle and look for a relationship between these lengths.
How are the lengths of the two parts of the Euler segment related?
Test your conjecture using the Calculator.
Explore More
1. Construct a circle centered at the midpoint of the Euler segment and
passing through the midpoint of one of the sides of the triangle. This
circle is called the nine-point circle. The midpoint it passes through is
one of the nine points. What are the other eight? (Hint: Six of them
have to do with the altitudes and the orthocenter.)
2. Once youve constructed the nine-point circle, drag your triangle
around and investigate special triangles. Describe any triangles in
which some of the nine points coincide.

Napoleons Theorem
Name(s):
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fancied himself as something of an

amateur geometer and liked to hang out with mathematicians. The
theorem youll investigate in this activity is attributed to him.
One way to
construct the center
is to construct two
medians and their
point of intersection.
Select the entire

figure; then choose
Create New Tool
from the Custom
Tools menu
in the Toolbox
(the bottom tool).
1. Construct an equilateral triangle. You can use a pre-made custom tool

or construct the triangle from scratch.
2. Construct the center of the triangle.
3. Hide anything extra you may have constructed to
construct the triangle and its center so that youre
left with a figure like the one shown at right.
4. Make a custom tool for this construction.
Next, youll use your custom tool to construct equilateral triangles on the
sides of an arbitrary triangle.
6. Construct jABC.
Be sure to attach
each equilateral
triangle to a pair of
triangle ABCs
vertices. If your
equilateral triangle
goes the wrong
way (overlaps the
interior of jABC)
or is not attached
properly, undo
and try attaching
it again.
7. Use the custom tool to construct

equilateral triangles on each side
of jABC.
8. Drag to make sure each equilateral

triangle is stuck to a side.
9. Construct segments connecting the
centers of the equilateral triangles.
10. Drag the vertices of the original triangle
and observe the triangle formed by the
centers of the equilateral triangles. This
triangle is called the outer Napoleon triangle of jABC.
Q1
State what you think Napoleons theorem might be.
Explore More
1. Construct segments connecting each vertex of your original triangle
with the most remote vertex of the equilateral triangle on the opposite
side. What can you say about these three segments?

Name(s):
How many ways can you come up with to

construct a rhombus? Try methods that use
the Construct menu, the Transform menu, or
combinations of both. Consider how you might
use diagonals. Write a brief description of each
construction method along with the properties
of rhombuses that make that method work.
D
B
C
A
Method 1:
Properties:
Method 2:
Properties:
Method 3:
Properties:
Method 4:
Properties:

Midpoint Quadrilaterals
Name(s):
In this investigation, youll discover something surprising about the quadrilateral formed by connecting the midpoints of another quadrilateral.
1. Construct quadrilateral ABCD.
If you select all four
sides, you can
construct all four
midpoints at once.
B
F
2. Construct the midpoints of the sides.

3. Connect the midpoints to construct
another quadrilateral, EFGH.
A
E
4. Drag vertices of your original

quadrilateral and observe the
midpoint quadrilateral.
H
D
5. Measure the four side lengths of this

midpoint quadrilateral.
Q1
Measure the slopes of the four sides of the midpoint quadrilateral.

What kind of quadrilateral does the midpoint quadrilateral appear
to be? How do the measurements support that conjecture?
6. Construct a diagonal.
7. Measure the length and slope of

the diagonal.
8. Drag vertices of the original

quadrilateral and observe how the
length and slope of the diagonal are
related to the lengths and slopes of the
sides of the midpoint quadrilateral.
Q2
E
A
H
D
The diagonal divides the original quadrilateral into two triangles.

Each triangle has as a midsegment one of the sides of the midpoint
quadrilateral. Use this fact and what you know about the slope and
length of the diagonal to write a paragraph explaining why the
conjecture you made in Q1 is true. Use a separate sheet of paper
if necessary.

Name(s):
Suppose you had a certain amount of fence and you wanted to use it to
enclose the biggest possible rectangular field. What rectangle shape would
you choose? In other words, what type of rectangle has the most area for a
given perimeter? Youll discover the answer in this investigation. Or, if
you have a hunch already, this investigation will help confirm your hunch
and give you more insight into it.
1. Construct sAB.
Select sAB, point A,
and point C. Then,
in the Construct
menu, choose
Perpendicular
Line.
Be sure to release
the mouseor click
the second time
with the pointer
over point B.
2. Construct sAC on sAB.
3. Construct lines
perpendicular to sAB
through points A and C.
4. Construct circle CB.

5. Construct point D where
this circle intersects the
perpendicular line.
6. Construct a line through point D, parallel to sAB.
7. Construct point E, the fourth vertex of rectangle ACDE.
Select the vertices of

the rectangle in
consecutive order.
Then, in the Construct
menu, choose
Quadrilateral
Interior.
Select point A and

point C. Then, in the
Measure menu,
choose Distance.
Repeat to
measure AE.
8. Construct polygon interior ACDE.

9. Measure the area and perimeter of this polygon.
10. Drag point C back and forth and observe how this affects the area and
perimeter of the rectangle.
11. Measure AC and AE.
Q1
Without measuring, state how AB is related to the perimeter of the

rectangle. Explain why this rectangle has a fixed perimeter.
Q2
As you drag point C, observe what rectangular shape gives the

greatest area. What shape do you think that is?

A Rectangle with Maximum Area (continued)

In Steps 1214, youll explore this relationship graphically.
Select, in order,
msAC and Area
ACDE. Then choose
Plot As (x, y) from
the Graph menu.
If you cant see
the plotted point,
drag the unit point
at (1, 0) to scale
the axes.
12. Plot the measurements for the length of sAC and the area of ACDE
as (x, y). You should get axes and a plotted point H, as shown below.
13. Drag point C to see the plotted point move to correspond to different
side lengths and areas.
H
Area ACDE = 3.74cm2

Perimeter ACDE = 9.41 cm
E
D
2
m AC = 3.69 cm
m AE = 1.01 cm
You may wish to

select point H and
measure its
coordinates.
-5
-10
Select point H and

point C; then, in the
Construct menu,
choose Locus.
14. To see a graph of all possible areas for this rectangle, construct the
locus of plotted point H as defined by point C. It should now be easy
to position point C so that point H is at a maximum value for the area
of the rectangle.
Q3
Explain what the coordinates of the high point on the graph are and
how they are related to the side lengths and area of the rectangle.
15. Drag point C so that point H moves back and forth between the two
low points on the graph.
Q4
Explain what the coordinates of the two low points on the graph are
and how they are related to the side lengths and area of the rectangle.
Explore More
1. Investigate area/perimeter relationships in other polygons. Make a
conjecture about what kinds of polygons yield the greatest area for a
given perimeter.
2. Whats the equation for the graph you made? Let AC be x and let AB
be (1/2)P, where P stands for perimeter (a constant). Write an
equation for area, A, in terms of x and P. What value for x (in terms
of P) gives a maximum value for A?

Pythagorean Theorem
All sketches referred

to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
Name(s):
In this activity, youll do a visual demonstration of the Pythagorean

theorem based on Euclids proof. By shearing the squares on the sides of a
right triangle, youll create congruent shapes without changing the areas
of your original squares.
1. Open the sketch Shear Pythagoras.gsp.
Youll see a right triangle with squares
on the sides.
Click on an interior
to select it. Then, in
the Measure menu,
choose Area.
2. Measure the areas of the squares.

3. Drag point A onto the line thats
perpendicular to the hypotenuse.
Note that as the square becomes a
parallelogram its area doesnt change.
a
A
4. Drag point B onto the line. It should

overlap point A so that the two
parallelograms form a single
irregular shape.

shape is congruent,
you can copy and
paste it. Drag the
pasted copy onto
the shape on the
legs to see that
it fits perfectly.
c
b
5. Drag point C so that the large square deforms to fill in the triangle.
The area of this shape doesnt change either. It should appear
congruent to the shape you made with the two smaller
parallelograms.
C
C
C
c
b
A
B

works for any right
triangle, change
the shape of the
triangle and try the
experiment again.
Q1
c
b
A
B
Step 3
c
b
Step 4
Step 5
How do these congruent shapes demonstrate the Pythagorean

theorem? (Hint: If the shapes are congruent, what do you know about
their areas?)

The Golden Rectangle
Name(s):
The golden ratio appears often in nature: in the proportions of a nautilus

shell, for example, and in some proportions in our bodies and faces. A
rectangle whose sides have the golden ratio is called a golden rectangle.
In a golden rectangle, the ratio of the sum of the
sides to the long side is equal to the ratio of the
long side to the short side. Golden rectangles are
a
somehow pleasing to the eye, perhaps because
they approximate the shape of our field of vision.
b
For this reason, theyre used often in architecture,
especially the classical architecture of ancient
a+b b
Greece. In this activity, youll construct a golden
b =a
rectangle and find an approximation to the golden
ratio. Then youll see how smaller golden rectangles are found within
a golden rectangle. Finally, youll construct a golden spiral.
You can use
the tool 4/Square
(By Edge) from
the sketch
Polygons.gsp
that comes with
the program.
1. Use a custom tool to construct a square ABCD. Then construct the

squares interior.
2. Orient the square so that the control points are on the left side, one
above the other (points A and B in the figure).
3. Construct the midpoint E of sAD.
4. Construct circle EC.
C
B
Steps 14
Select the objects;

then, in the Display
menu, choose Hide
Objects.
Hold down the

mouse button on the
Segment tool to
show the Straight
Objects palette.
Drag right to choose
the Ray tool.
Steps 58
Steps 911
5. Extend sides AD and BC with rays, as shown.

6. Construct point F where fAD intersects the circle.
7. Construct a line perpendicular to fAD through point F.
8. Construct point G where this perpendicular intersects fBC. Rectangle
AFGB is a golden rectangle.
9. Hide the lines, the rays, the circle, and point E.
10. Hide sAD, sDC, and sBC.
The Golden Rectangle (continued)

11. Construct sBG, sGF, and sFA.
Select, in order,
sAF and sAB; then, in
the Measure menu,
choose Ratio.
12. Measure AB and AF.
Choose Calculate
from the Measure
menu to open
the Calculator.
Click once on a
measurement to
enter it into a
calculation.
14. Calculate (AB + AF)/AF.
Select, in order, the

circle and points B
and D. Then choose
Arc On Circle
from the
Construct menu.
Select the entire
figure; then choose
Create New Tool
from the Custom
Tools menu
in the Toolbox
(the bottom tool).
If your rectangle
goes the wrong way
when you use the
custom tool, undo
and try applying it in
the opposite order.
13. Measure the ratio of AF to AB.
15. Drag point A or point B to confirm that your rectangle is always

golden.
Q1
The Greek letter phi () is often used to represent the golden ratio.
Write an approximation for .
Continue sketching to investigate the rectangle further and to construct a

golden spiral.
16. Construct circle CB.
17. Construct an arc on the circle

from point B to point D, then
hide the circle.
18. Make a custom tool for this
construction.
19. Make the rectangle as big as you can,

then use the custom tool on points F and D. You should find that
the rectangle constructed by your custom tool fits perfectly in the
region DFGC.
Q2
Make a conjecture about region DFGC.
20. Continue using the custom tool within your

golden rectangle to create a golden spiral.
Hide unnecessary points.
Explore More
A
1. Let the short side of a golden rectangle have
length 1 and the long side have length .
Write a proportion, cross-multiply, and
use the quadratic formula to calculate an exact value for .
2. Calculate 2 and 1/. How are these numbers related to ?

Use algebra to demonstrate why these relationships hold.

A Sine Wave Tracer
Name(s):
In this exploration, youll construct an animation engine that traces out

a special curve called a sine wave. Variations of sine curves are the graphs
of functions called periodic functions, functions that repeat themselves. The
motion of a pendulum and ocean tides are examples of periodic functions.
1. Construct a horizontal segment AB.
E
C
D
A
2. Construct a circle with center A and radius endpoint C.

3. Construct point D on sAB.
Select point D
and sAB; then, in
the Construct
menu, choose
Perpendicular
Line.
4. Construct a line perpendicular to sAB through point D.

5. Construct point E on the circle.
6. Construct a line parallel to sAB through point E.
7. Construct point F, the point of intersection of the vertical line through
point D and the horizontal line through point E.
Dont worry, this isnt

a trick question!
Q1
Drag point D and describe what happens to point F.
Q2
Drag point E around the circle and describe what point F does.
Q3
In a minute, youll create an animation in your sketch that combines

these two motions. But first try to guess what the path of point F will
be when point D moves to the right along the segment at the same
time as point E is moving around the circle. Sketch the path you
imagine below.

A Sine Wave Tracer (continued)

Select points D and
E and choose Edit |
Action Buttons |
Animation.
Choose forward in
the Direction
pop-up menu for
point D.
8. Make an action button that animates point D forward on sAB and

point E forward on the circle.
9. Move point D so that its just to the right of the circle.
10. Select point F; then, in the Display menu, choose Trace Point.
11. Press the Animation button.
Q4
In the space below, sketch the path traced by point F. Does the actual
path resemble your guess in Q3? How is it different?
12. Select the circle; then, in the Graph menu, choose Define Unit Circle.
You should get a graph with the origin at point A. Point B should lie
on the x-axis. The y-coordinate of point F above sAB is the value of the
sine of EAD.
E
C
F
B
D
A
Q5
10
If the circle has a radius of 1 grid unit, what is its circumference in

grid units? (Calculate this yourself; dont use Sketchpad to measure
it because Sketchpad will measure in inches or centimeters, not grid
units.)
13. Measure the coordinates of point B.

14. Adjust the segment and the circle until you can make the curve
trace back on itself instead of drawing a new curve every time.
(Keep point B on the x-axis.)
Q6
Whats the relationship between the x-coordinate of point B and the

circumference of the circle (in grid units)? Explain why you think this
is so.

Adding Integers
Definition:
Integers are positive
and negative whole
numbers, including
zero. On a number
line, tick marks
usually represent the
integers.
Name(s):
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the next two
activities, youll explore integer addition and subtraction using a visual
Sketchpad model. Keeping this model in mind can help you visualize
what these operations do and how they work.

to
in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the sketch Add

Integers.gsp from the
folder 1_Fundamentals.
8
+ 5
2. Study the problem thats

modeled: 8 + 5 = 13. Then
drag the two drag
-1
circles to model other
addition problems. Notice
how the two upper arrows
relate to the two lower arrows.
Q1
Model the problem 6 + 3.

According to your sketch,
what is the sum of 6 and 3?
drag
drag
10
-6
drag
+ -3
drag
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
3. Model three more problems in which you add two negative numbers.
Write your equations (2 + 2 = 4, for example) below.
Q2
How is adding two negative numbers similar to adding two positive

numbers? How is it different?
Q3
Is it possible to add two negative numbers and get a positive sum?

Explain.
From Exploring Algebra with The Geometers Sketchpad

Adding Integers (continued)

Q4

5
+ -5
drag
-5
drag
-4
-3
-2
-1
4. Model four more problems in which the sum is zero. Have the first
number be positive in two problems and negative in two problems.
Write your equations below.
Q5
What must be true about two numbers if their sum is zero?
Q6

drag
+ -7
drag
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
5. Model six more problems in which you add one positive and one
negative number. Have the first number be positive in three problems
and negative in three. Also, make sure that some problems have
positive answers and others have negative answers. Write your
equations below.
Q7
When adding a positive number and a negative number, how can you
tell if the answer will be positive or negative?

Adding Integers (continued)

Q8
A classmate says, Adding a positive and a negative number seems

more like subtracting. Explain what he means.
Q9
Fill in the blanks:

a. The sum of a positive number and a positive number is always a
number.
b. The sum of a negative number and a negative number is always a
number.
c. The sum of any number and
is always zero.
d. The sum of a negative number and a positive number is

if the positive number is larger and
if the negative number is larger. (Larger here means farther
from zero.)
Explore More
To commute
means to travel
back and forth.
The Commutative
Property of Addition
basically says that
addends can
commute across an
addition sign without
affecting the sum.
1. The Commutative Property of Addition says that for any two numbers
a and b, a + b = b + a. In other words, order doesnt matter in addition!
Model two addition problems on your sketchs number line that
demonstrate this property.
a. Given the way addition is represented in this activity, why does the
Commutative Property of Addition make sense?
b. Does the Commutative Property of Addition work if one or both
addends are negative? Give examples to support your answer.

Name(s):
If youve seen marching bands perform at football games, youve

probably seen the following: The band members, wandering in seemingly
random directions, suddenly spell a word or form a cool picture. Can
these patterns be described mathematically? In this activity, youll start to
answer this question by exploring simple patterns of dots in the x-y plane.
Holding down the
Shift key keeps all
five points selected.
2. Choose the Point tool from the Toolbox. Then, while holding down
the Shift key, click five times in different locations (other than on the
axes) to construct five new points.
To measure
the coordinates
of selected
points, choose
Coordinates from
the Measure menu.
3. Measure the coordinates of the

five selected points.
A coordinate system appears and
the coordinates of the five points
are displayed.
To hide objects,
select them and
choose Hide from
the Display menu.
A: (3.00, 3.00)
B: (-1.00, -1.00)
C: (2.00, -2.00)
D: (3.00, -1.00)
4. Hide the points at (0, 0) and

at (1, 0).
5. Choose Snap Points from the

Graph menu.
From now on, the points will only land
on locations with integer coordinates.
Q1
E: (1.00, 2.00)
D
-2
For each problem, drag the five points to different locations that
satisfy the given conditions. Then copy your solutions onto the grids
on the next page.
For each point,
a. the y-coordinate equals the x-coordinate.
b. the y-coordinate is one greater than the x-coordinate.
c. the y-coordinate is twice the x-coordinate.
d. the y-coordinate is one greater than twice the x-coordinate.
e. the y-coordinate is the opposite of the x-coordinate.
The absolute value

of a number is its
positive value.
The absolute
value of both
5 and 5 is 5.
f. the sum of the x- and y-coordinates is five.

g. the y-coordinate is the absolute value of the x-coordinate.
h. the y-coordinate is the square of the x-coordinate.

Points Lining Up in the Plane (continued)

a.
-10
b.
6
-5
10
-3
-6
-6
-5
10
-10
-5
-3
-3
-6
-6
10
10
10
10
f.
6
-5
10
-10
-5
-3
-3
-6
-6
g.
-10
d.
e.
-10
-5
-3
c.
-10
-10
h.
6
-5
10
-10
-5
-3
-3
-6
-6

Points Lining Up in the Plane (continued)

Backward Thinking
In Q1, you were given descriptions and asked to apply them to points.
Here, well reverse the process and let you play detective.
to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
6. Open the sketch Line Up.gsp from the folder 2_Lines.

Youll see a coordinate system with eight points (A through H), their
coordinate measurements, and eight action buttons.
Q2
For each letter, press the corresponding button in the sketch. Like the
members of a marching band, the points will wander until they
form a pattern. Study the coordinates of the points in each pattern,
then write a description (like the ones in Q1) for each one.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Explore More
1. Each of the descriptions in this activity can be written as an
equation. For example, part b of Q1 (the y-coordinate is one greater
than the x-coordinate) can be written as y = x + 1. Write an equation
for each description in Q1 and Q2.
2. Add your own action buttons to those in Line Up.gsp, then see if
your classmates can come up with descriptions or equations for your
patterns. Instructions on how to do this are on page 2 of the sketch.

Parabolas in Vertex Form
Name(s):
Things with bilateral symmetrysuch as the human bodyhave parts on

the sides that come in pairs (such as ears and feet) and parts down the
middle theres just one of (such as the nose and bellybutton). Parabolas are
the same way. Points on one side have corresponding points on the other.
But one point is unique: the vertex. Its right in the middle, andlike your
nosetheres just one of it. Not surprisingly, theres a common equation
form for parabolas that relates to this unique point.
to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
To enter a, h, and k,
click on their
measurements in the
sketch. To enter x,
click on the x in
the dialog box.
1. Open the sketch Vertex Form.gsp from the folder 3_Quads.

Youll see an equation in the form y = a(x h)2 + k, with a, h, and k filled in,
and sliders for a, h, and k. Adjust the sliders (by dragging the points at their
tips) and watch the equation change accordingly. Theres no graph yet
because we wanted you to practice using Sketchpads graphing features.
2. Choose Plot New Function
from the Graph menu.
The New Function dialog
box appears. If necessary,
move it so that you can see
a, h, and ks measurements.
y = 1.4(x (0.9))2 1.6
f(x) = a(x-h) +k
2
-5
a = 1.4
xP = 2.5
h = 0.9
-2
3. Enter a*(x h)^ 2+ k and
k = -1.6
click OK.
Sketchpad plots the function for the current values of a, h, and k.
Youll now plot the point on the parabola whose x-coordinate is the same
as point Ps.
Choose Calculate
from the Measure
menu. Click on the
function equation
from step 3.
Then click on
xP to enter it.
Now type a close
parenthesis)
and click OK.
4. Calculate f(xP), the value of the function f evaluated at xP.

Youll see an equation for f(xP), the value of the function f evaluated at xP.
5. Select, in order, xP and f(xP); then choose Plot as (x, y) from the
Graph menu.
A point is plotted on the parabola.
Q1
Using paper and pencil or a calculator, show that the coordinates of

the new point satisfy the parabolas equation. Write your calculation
below. If the numbers are a little off, explain why this might be.

Parabolas in Vertex Form (continued)

Exploring Families of Parabolas
By dragging point P, youre exploring how the variables x and y vary
along one particular parabola with particular values for a, h, and k. For
the rest of this activity, youll change the values of a, h, and k, which
will change the parabola itself, allowing you to explore whole families
of parabolas.
Q2
Adjust as slider and observe the effect on the parabola.

Summarize as role in the equation y = a(x h)2 + k. Be sure to discuss
as sign (whether its positive or negative), its magnitude (how big or
small it is), and anything else that seems important.
Q3
Dragging a appears to change all the points on the parabola but one:
the vertex. Change the values of h and k; then adjust a again, focusing
on where the vertex appears to be.
How does the location of the vertex relate to the values of h and k?
Q4
Adjust the sliders for h and k. Describe how the parabola transforms
as h changes. How does that compare to the transformation that
occurs as k changes?
Heres how the Plot as (x, y) command in the Graph menu works:
Select two measurements and choose the command. Sketchpad plots a
point whose x-coordinate is the first selected measurement and whose
y-coordinate is the second selected measurement.
6. Use Plot as (x, y) to plot the vertex of your parabola.

Parabolas in Vertex Form (continued)

Note: In this activity,
the precision of
measurements has
been set to one
decimal place.
Its important to be
aware of this, and to
check your answers
by hand, in addition
to adjusting the
sliders in the sketch.
Q5
Write the equation in vertex form y = a(x h)2 + k for each parabola
described. As a check, adjust the sliders so that the parabola is drawn
on the screen.
a. vertex at (1, 1); y-intercept at (0, 4)
b. vertex at (4, 3); contains the point (2, 1)
c. vertex at (5, 2); contains the point (1, 6)
d. same vertex as the parabola 3(x 2)2 2; contains the point (0, 6)
e. same shape as the parabola 4(x + 3)2 1; vertex at (1, 3)
Q6
The axis of symmetry is the line over which a parabola can be flipped
and still look the same. What is the equation of the axis of symmetry
for the parabola y = 2(x 3)2 + 1? for y = a(x h)2 + k?
Q7
Just as your right ear has a corresponding ear across your bodys
axis of symmetry, all points on a parabola (except the vertex) have
corresponding points across its axis of symmetry.
The point (5, 9) is on the parabola y = 2(x 3)2 + 1. What is the
corresponding point across the axis of symmetry?
Explore More
1. Assume that the point (s, t) is on the right half of the parabola
y = a(x h)2 + k. What is the corresponding point across the axis of
symmetry? If (s, t) were on the left half of the parabola, what would
the answer be?
2. Use the Perpendicular Line command from the Construct menu to
construct the axis of symmetry of your parabola. Then use the Reflect
command from the Transform menu to reflect point P across the new
axis of symmetry. Measure the coordinates of the new point, P.
Are they what you expected?

Name(s):
If youre like most people, youve spent at least a little time looking at
yourself in the mirror. So youre already pretty familiar with reflection.
In this activity, youll add to your knowledge on the subject as you
explore reflection from both geometric and algebraic perspectives.
1. In a new sketch, use the Point tool to draw a point.
2. With the point still selected, choose a color
from the Display | Color submenu. Then
choose Trace Point from the Display menu.
Use the Arrow tool to drag the point around.
The trail the point leaves is called its trace.
To choose the
Line tool, press
and hold the
mouse button
over the current
Straightedge tool,
then drag and
release over the
Line tool in the
palette that appears.
Starting in this step,

well refer to the two
points defining the
line as line points
and the other
two points as
reflecting points.
3. If the trace from the previous step fades and disappears, go on to the
next step. If the trace remains on the screen, choose Preferences from
the Edit menu. On the Color panel, check the Fade Traces Over Time
box and click OK.
4. Using the Line tool, draw a line. With the line selected, choose
Mark Mirror from the Transform menu.
A brief animation indicates that the mirror line has been marked.
5. Using the Arrow tool, select the point. Choose Reflect from the
Transform menu.
The points reflected image appears.
6. Give the new point a different color
and turn tracing on for it as well.
7. What will happen when you drag one
of the reflecting points? Ponder this a
moment. Then drag and see. What do
you think will happen when you drag
one of the line points? Find the answer
to this question too.
Q1
Briefly describe the two types of patterns

you observed in step 7 (one when dragging
a reflecting point, the other when dragging a line point).

Reflection in Geometry and Algebra (continued)

8. Select the reflecting points; then choose Trace Points to toggle
tracing off.
9. With the two points still selected, choose
Segment from the Construct menu.
A segment is constructed between the points.
Drag the various objects around and observe the
relationship between the line and the segment.
Q2
What angle do the line and the segment

appear to make with each other? How does
the line appear to divide the segment?
From Geometry to Algebra

Now that youve learned some geometric properties of reflection, its
time to apply this knowledge to reflection in the x-y plane. Youll start
by exploring reflection across the y-axis.
10. Click in blank space to deselect all objects. Drag one of the line points
so its near the center of the sketch. With this point selected, choose
Define Origin from the Graph menu.
A coordinate system appears. The selected point is the origin(0, 0).
11. Deselect all objects; then select
the y-axis and the other line
point (the one that didnt become
the origin). Choose Merge Point
To Axis from the Edit menu.
The point attaches itself to the
y-axis, which now acts as the
mirror line.
A'
A
1
-2
12. Select one of the reflecting points and choose Coordinates from the
Measure menu.
The points (x, y) coordinate measurement appears. Drag the point and watch
its coordinates change.
13. How do you think the other reflecting points coordinates compare?
Measure them to find out if you were right.

Reflection in Geometry and Algebra (continued)

Q3
A point with coordinates (a, b) is reflected across the y-axis. What are
the coordinates of its reflected image?
14. How does the distance between the two reflecting points relate to
their coordinates? Make a prediction. Then select the two points and
choose Coordinate Distance from the Measure menu. Were you right?
A special challenge
is to make sure your
answers to this
question and Q6
work regardless of
what quadrants the
points are in.
Q4
A point with coordinates (a, b) is reflected across the y-axis.

How far is it from its reflected image?
15. Deselect all objects. Then select the point on the y-axis that was
merged in step 11. Choose Split Point From Axis.
The point splits from the y-axis.
16. With the point still selected, select the x-axis as well. Then choose
Merge Point To Axis from the Edit menu.
The x-axis now acts as the mirror line. Drag one of the reflecting points and
observe the various measurements.
Q5
A point with coordinates (c, d ) is reflected across the x-axis.

What are the coordinates of its reflected image?
Q6
A point with coordinates (c, d ) is reflected across the x-axis.

How far is it from its reflected image?
Explore More
1. Plot the line y = x. Split the point from the x-axis and merge it to
the new line. What do you notice about the coordinates of the
reflecting points?
2. Consider the following transformations (each is separate):
a. Reflect a point over the x-axis, then reflect the image over
the y-axis.
b. Reflect a point over the y-axis, then reflect the image over
the x-axis.
c. Rotate a point by 180 about the origin.
How do these three transformations compare? What would the
coordinates of a point (a, b) be after each of these transformations?

Walking Rex:
An Introduction to Vectors
Name(s):
You know, and most everyone over age five knows, that 2 + 2 = 4. No big
shock there. But what if you walk 2 miles north, turn around, then walk
2 miles southhow far have you walked? In one sense, youve walked
4 milesthats certainly what your feet would tell you. But in another
sense, you havent really gotten anywhere. We could say: 2N + 2S = 0.
Values that have both a magnitude (size) and a direction are called vectors.
Vectors are very useful in studying things like the flight of airplanes in
wind currents and the push and pull of magnetic forces. In this activity,
youll explore some of the algebra and geometry behind vectors in the
context of a walk with your faithful dog, Rex.

to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
Rex has a head

and tail too, of
course, but those
have nothing to do
with the vector!
Walk the Dog

1. Open the sketch Walk the Dog.gsp from the folder 5_Transform.
Rexs leash is tied to a tree at the origin of an x-y coordinate system. Rex is
pulling the leash tight as he excitedly waits for you to take him on a walk.
Rexs taut leash is represented by a vectora segment with an arrowhead.
The end with the arrowhead (Rex) is called the head and the other end (the
tree) is called the tail. Weve labeled this particular vector j.
Q1
One way to define vectors is by their magnitude (length) and direction.

Which of these two quantities stays the same as you drag point Rex ?
Q2
For each description of vector j, find Rexs coordinates.

a. magnitude = 5; direction =
30
b. magnitude = 5; direction =
90
c. magnitude = 5; direction =
225

Walking Rex (continued)

Q3
A second way to define a vector is by the coordinates of its head when

its tail is at the origin. Use Sketchpad to find the magnitude and
direction of the following vectors:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Q4
vector j = (5, 0)
vector k = (3, 4)
vector l = (0, 5)
vector m = (3, 4)
Rex is terrified of ladybugs. Suppose a ladybug is sitting at (5, 0).

Where should Rex move to face the opposite direction and be as far
from it as possible? What if the ladybug moves to (3, 4)?
Now its time to untie the leash from the tree and take Rex for a walk.
2. Go to the second page of Walk the Dog.gsp: Walk 1.
Rex is a very determined dog! As you walk him, he pulls the leash taut and
always tries to steer you in the same direction (toward an interesting scent
perhaps). Rex is still at the head of vector j (where the arrowhead is) and
now youre at the tail.
Q5
Drag vector j around the screen. Explain why, no matter where you
drag it, vector j is always the same vector. Use one of the two methods
for defining vectors weve discussed to support your argument.
Q6
Suppose you stood at the point (80, 80). Where would Rex be
standing? Explain how you found your answer. (Dont scroll or use
Sketchpads menusall the information you need is on the screen.)
3. Go to the third and fourth pages of Walk the Dog.gsp: Walk 2

and Walk 3.
Youll see that Rex is heading in different directions on these pages. The
information presented on screen is also a little different for each page.
Q7
As in Q6, determine where Rex will be standing when youre at

(80, 80) for Walk 2 and Walk 3. Explain your reasoning in each case.
Q8
Answer Q7 again, this time assuming that you have a leash twice as
long and Rex heads in the same directions.

Leonardo da Vincis Proof
Name(s):
Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) was a great Italian painter, engineer, and

inventor during the Renaissance. He is most famous, perhaps, for his
painting the Mona Lisa. He is also credited with the following proof of the
Pythagorean theorem.
Construct
In this figure, you
dont have to
construct the square
on the hypotenuse.
1. Construct a right triangle and squares

on the legs.
B
a
2. Connect corners of the squares to

construct a second right triangle
congruent to the original.
b
a
3. Construct a segment through the center

of this figure, connecting far corners of
the squares and passing through C.
4. Construct the midpoint, H, of this segment.
The Action Buttons
submenu is in
the Edit menu.
A
H
Hide reflection
5. This segment divides the figure into mirror

image halves. Select all the segments and points on one side of the
center line and create a Hide/Show action button. Change its label to
read Hide reflection.
6. Press the Hide reflection action button. You should now see half the
figure.
B
a
c
b
A
H
Show reflection

Leonardo da Vincis Proof (continued)

7. Mark H as center and rotate the entire figure (not the action buttons)
by 180 around H.
8. Select all the objects making up the rotated half of this figure and
create a Hide/Show action button. Relabel this button to read
Hide rotation but dont hide the rotated half yet.
a
B
c
C
H
C'
A'
B'
Show reflection
Hide rotation
9. Construct xAB and xBA. Do you see c squared?

10. Construct the polygon interior of BABA and of the two triangles
adjacent to it.
11. Select xAB, xBA, and the three polygon interiors and create a
Hide/Show action button. Name it Hide c squared.
a
B
c
a
b
b
A
C
H
C'
A'
B'
Show reflection
Hide rotation
Hide c squared

Leonardo da Vincis Proof (continued)

Investigate
From going through this construction, you may have a good idea of how
Leonardos proof goes. Press all the hide buttons, then play through the
buttons in this sequence: Show reflection, Show rotation, Hide
reflection, Show c squared. You should see the transformation from
two right triangles with squares on the legs into two identical right
triangles with a square on their hypotenuses. Explain to a classmate or
make a presentation to the class to explain Leonardos proof of the
Prove
Leonardos is another of those elegant proofs where the figure tells pretty
much the whole story. Write a paragraph that explains why the two
hexagons have equal areas and how these equal hexagons prove the

Name(s):
Sometimes a conic section appears in the unlikeliest of places. In this

activity, youll explore a paper-folding construction in which crease lines
interact in a surprising way to form a conic.
Constructing a Physical Model
Preparation: Use a compass to draw a circle with a radius of approximately
three inches on a piece of wax paper or patty paper. Cut out the circle with
a pair of scissors. (If you dont have these materials, you can draw the circle
in Sketchpad and print it.)
1. Mark point A, the center of your circle.
If youre working
in a class, have
members place B at
different distances
from the center.
If youre working
alone, do this
section twice
once with B close
to the center,
once with B close
to the edge.
2. Mark a random point B within the

interior of your circle.
3. As shown below right, fold
the circle so that a point on its
circumference lands directly onto
point B. Make a sharp crease to
keep a record of this fold.
Unfold the circle.
B
A
4. Fold the circle along a new crease

so that a different point on the
circumference lands on point B. Unfold
the circle and repeat the process.
5. After youve made a dozen or so creases,
examine them to see if you spot any
emerging patterns.
Mathematicians
would describe
your set of creases
as an envelope
of creases.
B
A
6. Resume creasing your circle. Gradually,

a well-outlined curve will appear. Be
patientit may take a little while.
7. Discuss what you see with your
classmates and compare their folded
curves to yours. If youre doing this
activity alone, fold a second circle with
point B in a different location.
From Exploring Conic Sections with The Geometers Sketchpad

The Folded Circle Construction (continued)

Questions
Q1
The creases on your circle seem to form the outline of an ellipse.

What appear to be its focal points?
Q2
If you were to move point B closer to the edge of the circle and fold
another curve, how do you think its shape would compare to the
first curve?
Q3
If you were to move point B closer to the center of the circle and fold
another curve, how do you think its shape would compare to the
first curve?
Constructing a Sketchpad Model

Fold and unfold. Fold and unfold. Creasing your circle takes some work.
Folding one or two sheets is fun, but what would happen if you wanted
to continue testing different locations for point B? Youd need to keep
starting with fresh circles, folding new sets of creases.
Sketchpad can streamline your work. With just one circle and one set of
creases, you can drag point B to new locations and watch the crease lines
adjust themselves instantaneously.
8. Open a new sketch and use the
Compass tool to draw a large
circle with center A. Hide the
circles radius point.
9. Use the Point tool to draw
a point B at a random spot
inside the circle.
B
A
crease
10. Construct a point C on the

circles circumference.
11. Construct the crease formed
when point C is folded onto
point B.
12. Drag point C around the circle. If you constructed your crease line
correctly, it should adjust to the new locations of point C.
13. Select the crease line and choose Trace Line from the Display menu.
If you dont want
your traces to fade,
be sure the Fade
Traces Over Time
box is unchecked
on the Color panel
of the Preferences
dialog box.
14. Drag point C around the circle to create a collection of crease lines.
15. Drag point B to a different location and then, if necessary, choose
Erase Traces from the Display menu.
16. Drag point C around the circle to create another collection of
crease lines.

Retracing creases for each location of point B is certainly faster than
folding new circles. But we can do better. Ideally, your crease lines should
relocate automatically as you drag point B. Sketchpads powerful Locus
command makes this possible.
17. Turn tracing off for your original crease line by selecting it and once
again choosing Trace Line from the Display menu.
18. Now select your crease line and point C. Choose Locus from the
Construct menu. An entire set of creases will appear: the locus of
crease locations as point C moves along its path. If you drag point B,
youll see that the crease lines readjust automatically.
19. Save your sketch for possible future use. Give it a descriptive name
such as Creased Circle.
Questions
The Merge and

Split commands
appear in the
Edit menu.
Q4
How does the shape of the curve change as you move point B closer to
the edge of the circle?
Q5
How does the shape of the curve change as you move point B closer to
the center of the circle?
Q6
Select point B and the circle. Then merge point B onto the circles
circumference. Describe the crease pattern.
Q7
Select point B and split it from the circles circumference. Then merge
it with the circles center. Describe the crease pattern.
Playing Detective
Each crease line on your circle touches the ellipse at exactly one point.
Another way of saying this is that each crease is tangent to the ellipse. By
engaging in some detective work, you can locate these tangency points
and use them to construct just the ellipse without its creases.
to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
Select the locus

and make its width
thicker so that its
easier to see.
20. Open the sketch Folded Circle.gsp. Youll see a thick crease line and
its locus already in place.
21. Drag point C and notice that the crease line remains tangent to the
ellipse. The exact point of tangency lies at the intersection of two
linesthe crease line and another line not shown here. Construct
this line in your sketch as well as the point of tangency, point E.
22. Select point E and point C and choose Locus from the Construct
menu. If youve identified the tangency point correctly, you
should see a curve appear precisely in the white space bordered
by the creases.


How to Prove It
C
The Folded Circle construction

seems to generate ellipses. Can
you prove that it does? Try
developing a proof on your
own, or work through the
following steps and questions.
The picture at right should
resemble your construction.
Line HI (the perpendicular
bisector of segment CB)
represents the crease formed
when point C is folded onto
point B. Point E sits on the
curve itself.
E
B
A
23. Add segments CB, BE, and AC to the picture.

24. Label the intersection of CB with the crease line as point D.
Questions
Remember: An
ellipse is the set
of points such
that the sum of the
distances from each
point to two fixed
points (the foci)
is constant.
Q8
Use a triangle congruence theorem to prove that jBED m
Q9
Segment BE is equal in length to which other segment? Why?
Q10
jCED.
Use the distance definition of an ellipse and the result from Q9 to

prove that point E traces an ellipse.
Explore More
1. When point B lies within its circle, the creases outline an ellipse.
What happens when point B lies outside its circle?
2. Use the illustration from your ellipse proof to show that
AEH = BED.
Heres an interesting consequence of this result: Imagine a pool
table in the shape of an ellipse with a hole at one of its focal points.
If you place a ball on the other focal point and hit it in any direction
without spin, the ball will bounce off the side and go straight into
the hole. Guaranteed!
3. The sketch Tangent Circles.gsp in the Ellipse folder shows a red
circle c3 thats simultaneously tangent to circles c1 and c2. Press the
Animate button and observe the path of point C, the center of circle c3.
Can you prove that C traces an ellipse?


In response to those
who advised him to
take life easy, Ibn
Sina is said to have
replied, I prefer a
short life with width
to a narrow one with
length. He died
at the age of 58.
Name(s):
In this activity, youll explore a little-known parabola construction

from the tenth century. The method originates from Ibn Sina, a
jack-of-all-trades who was a physician, philosopher, mathematician,
and astronomer!
1. Open a new sketch. Choose
Show Grid from the Graph menu.
Then choose Hide Grid to remove
the grid lines while keeping the
x- and y-axes.
C
2
2. Label the origin as point A.

3. Choose the Compass tool. Click
on the y-axis above the origin
(point C) and then below the origin
(point B). Youll create a circle with
center at point C passing through point B.
D
6
A
-5
F
-2
4. Construct point D, the intersection of the circle and the positive y-axis.
5. Construct points E and F, the intersections of the circle and the x-axis.
6. Construct lines through points E and F perpendicular to the x-axis.
7. Construct a line through point D perpendicular to the y-axis.
8. Construct points G and H, the intersections of the three newly
created lines.
If you dont want
your traces to fade,
be sure the Fade
Traces Over Time
box is unchecked
on the Color panel
of the Preferences
dialog box.
9. Select points G and H and choose Trace Intersections from the

Display menu. Drag point C up and down the y-axis and observe
the curve traced by points G and H.
The curve you see is the locus of points G and H as point C travels
along the y-axis.
10. Drag point B to a new location, but keep it below the origin. Then, if
necessary, choose Erase Traces from the Display menu to erase your
previous curve. Trace several new curves, each time changing the
location of point B.
For every new location of point B, you need to retrace your curve.
Ideally, your parabola should adjust automatically as you drag point B.
Sketchpads powerful Locus command makes this possible.

The Expanding Circle Construction (continued)

11. Turn tracing off for points G and H by selecting them and once again
choosing Trace Intersections from the Display menu.
12. Now select points G and C. Choose Locus from the Construct menu.
Do this again for points H and C. Youll form an entire curve: the
locus of points G and H. Drag point B to vary the shape of the curve.
Questions
Q1
As you drag point B, which features of the curve stay the same?
Which features change?
Q2
The creator of this technique, Ibn Sina, didnt, of course, have

Sketchpad available to him in the tenth century! How would
this construction be different if you used a compass and
straightedge instead?
The Geometric Mean

It certainly looks like the Expanding Circle method draws parabolas,
but to prove why, youll need to know a little about geometric means.
The geometric mean x of two numbers, a and b, is equal to
ab .
Equivalently, x2 = ab.
Thus the geometric mean of 4 and 9 is

( 4 )(9) = 6
Its possible to determine the geometric mean of two numbers

geometrically rather than algebraically. Specifically, if two segments have
lengths a and b, we can constructwithout measuringa third segment
of length ab .
All sketches
referred to in
this booklet can
be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
13. Open the sketch Geometric Mean.gsp.

Youll see a circle whose diameter
consists of two segments with lengths
a and b laid side to side. A chord
perpendicular to the diameter is
split into equal segments of length x.
x
a
b
x
14. Use Sketchpads calculator to compute the

geometric mean of lengths a and b. Compare
this value to x.

The Expanding Circle Construction (continued)

Questions
Q3
The second page of Geometric Mean.gsp outlines a proof showing

that x is the geometric mean of a and b. Complete the proof.
How to Prove It
With your knowledge of geometric means, you can now prove that
points G and H of the Expanding Circle construction trace a parabola.
Since the location of point H changes as the circle grows and shrinks,
its labeled below as (x, y), using variables as coordinates. To make
things more concrete, well assume AB = 3.
G
H = (x, y)
D
6
C
A = (0, 0)
E
-5
F
5
-2
B (0, -3)
Questions
The questions that follow provide a step-by-step guided proof. You can
answer them or first write your own proof without any hints.
Q4
Fill in the lengths of the following segments in terms of x and y:

AF =
AD =
Q5
Use your knowledge of geometric means to write an equation relating

the lengths of AB, AF, and AD. Is this the equation of a parabola?
Q6
Give an argument to explain why point G also traces a parabola.
Q7
Rewrite your proof, this time making it more general. Let AB = s.
Explore More
1. Open the sketch Right Angle.gsp. Angle DEB is constructed to be a
right angle. Drag point E and observe the trace of point G and its
reflection G. Explain why this sketch is essentially the same as the
Expanding Circle construction.
Distances in an
Equilateral Triangle
Name(s)
C
A shipwreck survivor manages to swim to a

desert island.
As it happens, the island closely approximates

the shape of an equilateral triangle. She soon
discovers that the surfing is outstanding on
all three of the islands coasts. She crafts a
surfboard from a fallen tree and surfs every
A
B
day. Where should she build her house so that
the sum of the distances from her house to all
three beaches is as small as possible? (She visits each beach with equal
frequency.) Before you proceed further, locate a point in the triangle at the
spot where you think she should build her house.
Conjecture
All sketches
referred to in
this booklet can
be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the sketch Distance.gsp. Drag point P to experiment with your

sketch.
Q1
Press the button to show the distance sum. Drag point P around the
interior of the triangle. What do you notice about the sum of the
distances?
Q2
Drag a vertex of the triangle to change the triangles size. Again, drag
point P around the interior of the triangle. What do you notice now?
Q3
What happens if you drag P outside the triangle?
Q4
Organize your observations from Q1Q3 into a conjecture. Write your

conjecture using complete sentences.
From Rethinking Proof with The Geometers Sketchpad

Distances in an Equilateral Triangle (continued)

Explaining
You are no doubt convinced that the total
sum of the distances from point P to all
three sides of a given equilateral triangle is
always constant, as long as P is an interior
point. But can you explain why this is true?
a
h3
h1
P
h2
Although further exploration in Sketchpad

might succeed in convincing you even more
a
fully of the truth of your conjecture, it would
only confirm the conjectures truth without
providing an explanation. For example, the
observation that the sun rises every morning
does not explain why this is true. We have to try to explain it in terms of
something else, for example the rotation of the earth around the polar axis.
Recently, a mathematician named Mitchell Feigenbaum made some
experimental discoveries in fractal geometry using a computer, just as you
have used Sketchpad to discover your conjecture about a point inside an
equilateral triangle. Feigenbaums discoveries were later explained by
Lanford and others. Heres what another mathematician had to say about
all this:
Lanford and other mathematicians were not trying to validate
Feigenbaums results any more than, say, Newton was trying to validate
the discoveries of Kepler on the planetary orbits. In both cases the
validity of the results was never in question. What was missing was the
explanation. Why were the orbits ellipses? Why did they satisfy these
particular relations? . . . theres a world of difference between validating
and explaining.
M. D. Gale (1990), in The Mathematical
Intelligencer, 12(1), 4.
Challenge
Use another sheet of paper to try to logically explain your conjecture
from Q4. After you have thought for a while and made some notes,
use the steps and questions that follow to develop an explanation of
your conjectures.


2. Press the button to show the small triangles in your sketch.
Q5
Drag a vertex of the original triangle. Why are the three different sides
all labeled a?
Q6
Write an expression for the area of each small triangle using a and the
variables h1, h2, and h3.
Q7
Add the three areas and simplify your expression by taking out any
common factors.
Q8
How is the sum in Q7 related to the total area of the equilateral

triangle? Write an equation to show this relationship using A for
the area of the equilateral triangle.
Q9
Use your equation from Q8 to explain why the sum of the distances
to all three sides of a given equilateral triangle is always constant.
Q10
Drag P to a vertex point. How is the sum of the distances related to

the altitude of the original triangle in this case?
Q11
Explain why your explanation in Q5Q9 would not work if the

triangle were not equilateral.
Present Your Explanation

Summarize your explanation of your original conjecture. You can use
Q5Q11 to help you. You might write your explanation as an argument
in paragraph form or as a two-column proof. Use the back of this page,
another sheet of paper, a Sketchpad sketch, or some other medium.


Further Exploration
1. Construct any triangle ABC and an arbitrary point P inside it. Where
should you locate P to minimize the sum of the distances to all three
sides of the triangle?
2. a. Construct any rhombus and an arbitrary point P inside it. Where
should you locate P to minimize the sum of the distances to all four
sides of the rhombus?
b. Explain your observation in 2a and generalize to polygons with a
similar property.
3. a. Construct any parallelogram and an arbitrary point P inside it.
Where should you locate P to minimize the sum of the distances to
all four sides of the parallelogram?
b. Explain your observation in 3a and generalize to polygons with a
similar property.

Varignon Area
Name(s)
In this activity, you will compare the area of a quadrilateral to the area of
another quadrilateral constructed inside it.

to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the sketch Varignon.gsp and

drag vertices to investigate the shapes
in this sketch.
Q1
Conjecture
E
G
A
H
D
Points E, F, G, and H are midpoints

of the sides of quadrilateral ABCD.
Describe polygon EFGH.
2. Press the appropriate button to show the areas of the two polygons
you described. Drag a vertex and observe the areas.
Q2
Describe how the areas are related. You might want to find their ratio.
Q3
Drag any of the points A, B, C, and D and observe the two area
measurements. Does the ratio between them change?
Q4
Drag a vertex of ABCD until it is concave.

Does this change the ratio of the areas?
Q5
Q6
0%
Write your discoveries so far as one or

more conjectures. Use complete sentences.
F
C
G
H
D
You probably can think of times when something that always

appeared to be true turned out to be false at times. How certain are
you that your conjecture is always true? Record your level of certainty
on the number line and explain your choice.
25%
50%
75%
100%

Varignon Area (continued)

Challenge
If you believe your conjecture is always true, provide some examples to
support your view and try to convince your partner or members of your
group. Even better, support your conjecture with a logical explanation or a
convincing proof. If you suspect your conjecture is not always true, try to
supply counterexamples.
Proving
In the picture, you probably observed that quadrilateral EFGH is a
parallelogram. You also probably made a conjecture that goes something
like this:
The area of the parallelogram formed by connecting the midpoints
of the sides of a quadrilateral is half the area of the quadrilateral.
This first conjecture about quadrilateral EFGH matches a theorem of

geometry that is sometimes called Varignons theorem. Pierre Varignon
was a priest and mathematician born in 1654 in Caen, France. He is known
for his work with calculus and mechanics, including discoveries that
relate fluid flow and water clocks.
The next three steps will help you verify that quadrilateral EFGH is a
parallelogram. If you have verified this before, skip to Q10.
Q7
Construct diagonal AC. How are sEF

and sHG related to sAC? Why?
B
F
E
G
H
Q8
Q9
Construct diagonal BD. How are sEH

and sFG related to sBD? Why?
Use Q7 and Q8 to explain why EFGH must be a parallelogram.


Work through the steps that follow for
one possible explanation as to why
parallelogram EFGH has half the area
of quadrilateral ABCD. (If you have
constructed diagonals in ABCD, it will
help to delete or hide them.)
B
F
C
A
G
H
Q10
Assume for now that ABCD is convex.

One way to explain why ABCD has twice the area of EFGH is to look
at the regions that are inside ABCD but not inside EFGH. Describe
these regions.
Q11
According to your conjecture, how should the total area of the regions
you described in Q10 compare to the area of EFGH?
3. Press the button to translate the midpoint

quadrilateral EFGH along vector EF.
Q12
Drag any point. How does the area of

the translated quadrilateral compare to
the area of EFGH?
B
F'
G'
H
D
4. Construct xFC and xGC.

Q13
How is jEBF related to jFCF?
Q14
Explain why the relationship you

described in Q13 must be true.
F'
G'
Q15
How is jHDG related to jGCG?
Q16
Explain why the relationship you described in Q15 must be true.


Q17
How is jAEH related to jCFG ?
Q18
Explain why the relationship you described in Q17 must be true.
Q19
You have one more triangle to account for. Explain how this last
triangle fits into your explanation.
Present Your Proof

Create a summary of your proof from Q10Q19. Your summary may be in
paper form or electronic form, and may include a presentation sketch in
Sketchpad. You may want to discuss the summary with your partner or
group.
Further Exploration
Which part of your proof does not work for concave quadrilaterals? Try to
redo the proof so that it explains the concave case as well. (Hint: Drag
point C until quadrilateral ABCD is concave.)

Visualizing Change: Velocity
Name(s):
There are many ways to create motion or move an object. You could
control where the object is locatedits positionby dragging it around,
or you could control how fast or slow the object movesits speed.
Velocity is related to speed but it provides more information. If you know
your velocity, you really know two thingshow fast you are moving
(speed) and the direction you
6
Home
Me
are heading. Can knowing the
velocity of an object tell you
anything else? Are there any
4
Me2d
relationships or patterns
between position and velocity?
2
In this activity you will start to
velocity = 1.08
answer these questions by
v
moving a point, controlling its
5
10
velocity with a slider.
to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the sketch Velocity.gsp.

You will see a horizontal line and point Me that moves along it. Point
Home represents your base point or origin. You will also see the point
Me2d. This point represents where you are at any time. The x-coordinate
of point Me2d (labeled timeMe2d) represents time, and the y-coordinate
(labeled positionMe2d) represents your position or distance from point Me
to point Home.
2. Drag point Me2d around the plane, getting used to the way point Mes
position along the line (in other words, distance from point Home)
relates to Me2ds location in the time/position plane (in other words,
its coordinates).
Q1
Drag point Me2d horizontally. What happens to point Me? Explain.
Q2
You can drag point Me2d any way youd like, but dragging in certain
directions doesnt make sense given the way time works in our
universe. How do you have to drag point Me2d so that it represents a
physically possible motion of point Me?
Now we want to bring in velocity and see what effect it has.

3. Press the Show Controls button.
The grid in the figure
is for clarification. It
will not appear in the
sketch.
FutureMe
4
You should see two sliders, one for velocity and one
for a time interval. There is also a new point labeled
FutureMe. This point is located one time interval away
at the position you would reach if your velocity stayed
constant. The deltaT slider is set at 1 and the velocity
2
Me2d
2
From Exploring Calculus with The Geometers Sketchpad

Visualizing Change: Velocity (continued)

slider should be set at 2. So point FutureMe should be to the right 1 unit
and up 2 units.
Q3
If you change deltaT to 0.5 and keep the velocity the same, what will
happen to point FutureMe? Try it and see.
Q4
Move the deltaT slider to various time intervals. Does point FutureMe
move in any particular pattern? What happens to point Me or point
Me2d when you change just the time interval? Why is that?
Q5
Set deltaT back to 1 and now move the velocity slider to various values.
Does point FutureMe move in any particular pattern? What happens
to point Me or point Me2d when you change just the velocity? Why?
The Start Motion button will start both

points moving in relationship to the set
velocity and time intervals.
Select point Me2d,
then choose
Trace Point from
the Display menu.
You can also change
the color of your
selected point and
trace in the Color
submenu of the
Display menu.
Start Motion
Reset
velocity = 2.00
6
4. Press the Reset button to move point

Me2d to time = 0.
5. Turn on tracing for point Me2d.
deltaT = 1.00
8
Home
Me
FutureMe
position
6. Set the velocity slider to 2 and the

deltaT slider back to 1.
Me2d
time
For these first trials, you wont change
the velocity slider once your point is moving. Predict what kind of position
trace youll get if your velocity (speed and direction) stays the same.
Sketch this prediction in the margin.
Q6
Press the Start Motion button and observe point Mes motion and point
Me2ds corresponding time/position trace. Press the button again to
stop the motion. Describe your trace. (Was it what you predicted?)
Q7
Press the Reset button, but do not clear your trace. Instead, change
the velocity slider to 0.5 and make point Me2d a different color. Make
a prediction, and then press the Start Motion button again. What
happened this time? How are your traces different? How are they
the same?
Q8
Repeat Q7, but this time set your velocity slider to a negative value.
Any idea what will happen? Press the Start Motion button again.
What happened this time? How are your traces different? How are
they the same?
Q9
What conclusions can you reach about movement and position traces
when velocity is constant over a time interval?
Q10
What are the equations for the different traces you see on your screen?
What would the equation for the trace be if velocity were set to 0?

To hide a point,
select the point and
then choose
Hide Plotted
Point from the
Display menu.
For the next set of trials, you will change the

velocity of point Me while time is changing. The
smaller the time interval, the more accurate the
trace, so set deltaT as close to 0.1 as possible and
hide point FutureMe. You can change the velocity
slider to any value you wish, but try each of these
suggested experiments as well. For each
experiment, draw a little sketch of your trace in the
margin. Remember to choose Erase Traces from the
Display menu and press the Reset button when you
want to start over.
deltaT = 0.01
8
velocity = 2.00
Home
Me
Me2d
time
A. Start with the velocity at a positive value.

Increase the velocity,
and then decrease the velocity, but keep it positive throughout
the experiment.
B. Start with the velocity at a negative value. Increase the velocity,
and then decrease the velocity, but keep it negative throughout
the experiment. (Remember that 2 to 1 is an increase!)
C. Start with velocity > 2. Decrease the velocity, and then increase it.
Again, keep the velocity positive throughout.
D. Start with 1 < velocity < 0. Decrease the velocity, and then increase it,
but again, keep the velocity negative throughout.
E. Start with a positive velocity and decrease to a negative value. Then
increase the velocity again until you get to 0. Stay at 0 for a while and
then increase the velocity again.
Q11
How are the traces in A and B similar? How are they different? What
happens to the position trace when you
deltaT = 0.01
switch from increasing the velocity to
8
decreasing it?
velocity = 1.33
Q12
How are the traces in C and D similar?

How are they different? What happens to
the position trace when you switch from
decreasing the velocity to increasing it?
Q13
Q14
Home
Me
Me2d
2
How are the traces in A and C similar?

How are they different? What about B
and D?
ti
4 36
What happened when you changed the velocity from positive to

negative? From negative to positive? What happened when you
stayed at velocity = 0?


Q15
For each of the following, describe the position trace that you would
get. Then check your answer using the velocity slider.
a. positive and increasing velocity
b. negative and increasing velocity
c. positive and decreasing velocity
d. negative and decreasing velocity
Explore More
Go to page 2 of the sketch. Press the Show
Path1 button. Using your answers from
Q15 for reference, make a trace trying to
match the path as closely as you can.
During which part of your trace did you
have to go the fastest? When did you move
the slowest?
Home
Me
Me2d
10
Hide Path 1 and press the Show Path2

button. Again, try to match the path as closely as you can.
What is different about Path 2? Which one was easier to trace? Is it
possible to trace Path 2s corners?

Going Off on a Tangent
Name(s):
4
You can see what the average rate of change
between two points on a function looks
2
likeits the slope of the secant line between
the two points. You have also learned that as
Q
2
one point approaches the other, average rate
P
approaches instantaneous rate (provided that
-2
y=f(x)
the limit exists). But what does instantaneous
rate look like? In this activity you will get
more acquainted with the derivative and learn how to see it in the slope of
a very special line.

to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the sketch Tangents.gsp.

In this sketch there is a function plotted and a line that intersects the
function at a point P. This new line is called the tangent line because it
intersects the function only once in the region near point P. Its slope is the
instantaneous rate of changeor derivativeat point P:
tangents slope = instantaneous rate at P = f (xP)
So how do you find this line? Lets hold off on that for a bit and look at the
lines slopethe derivativeand see how it behaves. Remember, slope is
the key!
Be careful herethe
grid is not square!
If youd like, you can

animate point P by
selecting it, then
choosing Animate
Point from the
Display menu.
Q1
Move point P as close as possible to x = 1. Without using the

calculator, estimate f (1)the derivative of f at x = 1. (Hint: Whats
the slope of the tangent line at x = 1?)
Q2

calculator, estimate f (0)the derivative of f at x = 0. (Hint: See the
previous hint!)
Q3

calculator, estimate f (1)the derivative of f at x = 1. (Sorry, no hint
this time.)
2. Move point P back to about x = 1. Drag

point P slowly along the function f from
left to right. Watch the lines slope
carefully so that you can answer some
questions.
P
Q4
y=f(x)
For what x-values is the derivative

positive? (Hint: When is the slope of the
tangent line positive?) What can you say about the curve where the
derivative is positive?
Going Off on a Tangent (continued)

Q5
For what x-values is the derivative negative? (Hint: Look at the hint in
Q4 and make up your own hint.) What can you say about the curve
where the derivative is negative?
Q6
For what x-values is the derivative 0? What can you say about the
curve where the derivative is 0?
Q7
For what value or values of x on the interval from 1 to 3 is the slope

of the tangent line the steepest (either positive or negative)? How
would you translate this question into the language of derivatives?
3. Go to page 2 of the document. Here the function is f (x) = 4 sin(x).

If you want to
recenter your sketch,
select the origin and
move it to the
desired location.
4. Press the Show Zoom Tools button and use

the x-scale slider to change your window to
go from 2 to 2 on the x-axis. (You can
hide the tools again by pressing the Hide
Zoom Tools button.)
P
y=f(x)
5. Move point P so that its x-coordinate is

around x = 6.
f(x) = 4sin(x)
6. Move point P slowly along the function to

the right until you get to about x = 6. As you move the point, watch
the tangent lines slope so you can answer the following questions.
Q8
Answer Q4Q7 for this function. Could you have relied on physical
features of the graph to answer these questions quickly? (In other
words, could you have answered Q4Q7 for this function without
moving point P?)
There is an interesting relationship between how the slope is increasing or

decreasing and whether the tangent line is above or below the curve.
Move point P slowly from left to right again on the function, comparing
the steepness of the line to its locationabove or below the curve.
Q9
When is the slope of the line increasing? Is the tangent line above or
below the function when the slope is increasing?
Q10
When is the slope of the line decreasing? Is the tangent line above or
below the function when the slope is decreasing?
Q11
Write your conclusion for the relationship between the slope of the
tangent line and its location above or below the curve. How would
you translate this into a relationship between the derivative and the
functions concavity?
Lets check whether or not your conclusion is really true. The derivative
is the slope of the tangent line, so an easy way to check is to calculate the
slope of the line.

Going Off on a Tangent (continued)

7. Select the tangent line and measure its slope by choosing Slope from
the Measure menu. Label it TangentSlope.
8. Move point P slowly along the
function again from left to right
and watch the values of the
measurement TangentSlope.
TangentSlope = 1.34277
f(x) = 4sin(x)
P
y=f(x)
Q12
Do your answers to Q9Q10

hold up?
-5
Explore More
Each of the following functions has
some interesting problems or characteristics. For each one, change the
equation for f (x) by double-clicking on the expression for f (x) and
entering in the new expression. Then answer the questions below. If you
need to zoom in at a point, press the Show Zoom Tools button. Remember
that (a, b) represents the point you will zoom in on. To change a or b,
double-click on the parameter and enter a new value.
f1 ( x) = x 2
f 2 ( x) = x 2 6 x + 8
f 3 ( x) = x 1
Q1
Where does the derivative not exist for f1(x) and why? (What happens
to the tangent line at that point?)
Q2
Answer Q1 for f 2 ( x) = x 2 6 x + 8 .
Q3
Answer Q1 for f 3 ( x) = x 1 .
Q4
How is the function f1 ( x) = x 2 different from all the others that

you have looked at in this activity, including f 2 and f 3?

Accumulating Area
Name(s):
How would you describe the shaded

region shown here? You could say: The
shaded region is the area between the
x-axis and the curve f (x) on the interval
0 x 4. Or, if you didnt want to use all
those words, you could say: The shaded
region is
4
f or
y=f(x)
0.5
-0.5
f ( x) dx
which is much faster to write!

In general, the notation
f ( x) dx represents the signed area between the
curve f and the x-axis on the interval a x b. This means that the area
below the x-axis is counted as negative. This activity will acquaint you
with this notation, which is called the integral, and help you translate it
into the signed area it represents.
to in this booklet
can be found in
Sketchpad |
(Sketchpad is
the folder that
contains the
1. Open the document Area2.gsp. You have a function f composed of

some line segments and a semicircle connected by moveable points.
If you need to evaluate the integral
f ( x) dx , the
first step is to translate it into the language of

areas. This integral stands for the area between f
and the x-axis from x = 0 to x = 4, as shown. This
area is easy to findyou have a quarter-circle on
0 x 2 and a right triangle on 2 x 4.
y=f(x)
So on [0, 2] you have

2
f ( x) dx = 0.25r 2 = 0.25( 2) 2 =
and on [2, 4] you have

4
f ( x) dx = 0.5( base)( height ) = 0.5( 2)(6) = 6
f ( x) dx = 6 +
2
so
2. To check this with the Area tools, press the Show Area Tools button.
There are three new points on the x-axispoints start, finish, and P. Points
P and start should be at the origin. Point P will sweep out the area under
the curve from point start to point finish. Point P has not moved yet, so the
measurement AreaP is 0.
Accumulating Area (continued)

3. Press the Calculate Area button to calculate the area between f and the
x-axis on the interval [start, finish] and to shade in that region.
Before you move the

point, check the
status line to make
sure you have
selected the right
point. If you havent,
click on the point
again.
Q1
Is the value of the measurement AreaP close to 6 + ? Why isnt it

exactly 6 + or even 9.142?
Q2
Based on the above reasoning, evaluate
2 f (x) dx .
4. To check your answer, move point start to point B, press the Reset P
button, and then press the Calculate Area button.
Q3
What do you think will happen to the area measurement if you switch
the order of the integral, in other words, what is
f ( x) dx ?
5. To check your answer, move point start to x = 4 and point finish as

close as you can get to x = 2, then press the Reset P button.
6. Choose Erase Traces from the Display menu and then press the
Calculate Area button.
Q4
What is the area between f and the x-axis from x = 4 to x = 2?
Now, what happens if your function goes below the x-axis? For example,
suppose you want to evaluate
The grid is shown

here for comparison.
It doesnt appear in
the sketch.
4 f (x) dx.
Q5
Translate the integral into a statement about areas.
Q6
What familiar geometric objects make up the area you

described in Q5?
Q7
Using your familiar objects, evaluate
4 f (x) dx.
(Hint: You can do this one quickest by thinking.)

7. Make sure point start is at x = 4 and move point finish to
x = 6. Press the Reset P button.
You can also erase

traces by pressing
the Esc key twice.
8. Choose Erase Traces from the Display menu, and then

press the Calculate Area button to check your answer.
Does the result agree with your calculation?
Q8
Evaluate
6 f (x) dx using the process in Q5Q7 and
check your answer using steps 7 and 8.

If you fix your starting point with xstart = 6, you can define a new
function, A( xP ) =
xP
f ( x) dx , which accumulates the signed area between
f and the x-axis as P moves along the x-axis.

Q9
Why is A(6) =
6 f (x) dx = 0 ?


Q10
What is A(3)?
To get an idea of how this area function behaves as point P moves along
the x-axis, youll plot the point (xP, A(xP)) and let Sketchpad do the work.
9. Move point start to x = 6 exactly. Now move point finish to x = 9. The
measurement AreaP is now the function A( xP ) =
To turn off tracing,
choose Trace
Segment from the
Display menu.
If you cant see the
new point, scroll or
enlarge the window
until you do. To
enlarge the window,
press the Show Unit
Points button, resize
the window, then
press the Set
Function button.
xP
f ( x) dx .
10. Select the line segment that joins point P to the curve. Turn off tracing
for the segment. Erase all traces.
11. Select measurements xP and AreaP in that order and choose Plot As
(x, y) from the Graph menu.
12. Give this new point a bright new color from the Color submenu of the
Display menu. Turn on tracing for this point and label it point I.
13. Press the Reset P button and then the Calculate Area button to move
point P along the x-axis and create a trace of the area function.
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Why does the area trace decrease

as soon as point P moves away
from point start?
D
5
Why doesnt the trace become

positive as soon as point P is to
the right of point B?
What is the significance (in terms
of area) of the traces first root to
the right of point start? The
second root?
y=f(x)
10
A
-5
What is significant about the

original function f s roots? Why is this true?
14. Turn off tracing for point I and erase all traces.
Check the status line
to see that point P is
selected. If not, click
on the point again.
15. Select points P and I and choose Locus from the Construct menu.
Be sure to keep
points A, B, C, D, E,
and F lined up in that
order from left to
right. If point C
moves to the right of
point D, the line
segment CD will no
longer exist.
There are quite a few familiar relationships between the original function f
and this new locusincluding the ones suggested in Q11Q14. See if you
can find some of them by trying the experiments below.
The locus you constructed should look like the trace you had above. The
advantage of a locus is that if you move anything in your sketch, the locus
will update itself, whereas a trace will not.
A. Move point B (which also controls point C) to make the radius of the
semicircle larger, then smaller.


B. Press the Set Function button to move point B back to (2, 0). Now
move point A around in the plane. (Make sure to stay to the left of
point B.) Try dragging point A to various places below the x-axis, and
then move point A to various places above the x-axis.
C. Press the Set Function button to move point A back to (6, 4). Now
move point D around in the plane. (Make sure to stay between point C
and point E.) Drag point D to various places above the x-axis, and
then drag point D to various places below the x-axis.
D. Follow step C with points E and F.
Q15
List the various patterns that you found between the two functions or
in the area function alone. How many patterns were you able to find?
Any conjectures about the relationship between the two functions?
Explore More
Will the area functions shape change if you move point start to a value
other than x = 6?
1. Select point start and move it along the x-axis.
Q1
Does the area functions shape change when your starting point is
shifted along the x-axis? If so, how? If not, what changes, and why?
Q2
Write a conjecture in words for how

the two area functions
xP
x
Be sure to keep
points A, B, C, D, E,
and F lined up in that
order from left to
right. If point C
moves to the right of
point D, the line
segment CD will no
longer exist.
xP
f ( x) dx and
y=f(x)
f ( x) dx are related.
start
F
start
finish
2. Make a new shape for your area

function by moving one or more pointspoint A, B, D, E, or F. Then
move point start again along the x-axis.
Q3
Does your conjecture from Q2 still hold? Write the conjecture in

integral notation.
3. Fix point start at the origin. Move point P to the left of the origin but to
the right of point B.
Q4
The following two sentences sound good, but lead to a contradiction.

Where is the error?
The semicircle is above the x-axis from the origin to point P, so the
area is positive. Point I, which plots the area, is below the x-axis, so
the area is negative.

Activity Notes for Sample Activities

Extensive Activity Notes are included in all Sketchpad curriculum published
by Key Curriculum Press. Activity Notes provide suggestions for presenting
an activity and other important supporting material, including what
prerequisites the activity might have, potential stumbling blocks for students,
and answers to the questions posed in the activity.
Just as activities differ in form from book to book, so do Activity Notes. Some
books have separate Activity Notes for each activity. Others have chapter
notes or have a special section for general notes. The following pages contain
sample Activity Notes for most of the preceding sample activities. Notes for
the activities from Geometry Activities for Middle School Students with The
Geometers Sketchpad are not included here because their form made their
inclusion impractical.
Note that pre-made sketches that are required to do activities can be found in
the folder Sketchpad | Samples | Teaching Mathematics. (Sketchpad is the
folder that contains the application itself.)
Activity NotesTeaching Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad 75
Properties of Reflection (page 16)

Prerequisites: None
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner
Tessellations Using Only Translations

(page 18)
Prerequisites: Students should understand the
terms parallelogram, tessellation, and translation.
Activity Time: 3045 minutes (The first part,

Mirror Writing, takes about 5 minutes and can be
done independently of the rest of the activity.)
Activity Time: 2535 minutes
Presenting the Sketch
Q1 Point C traces the mirror image of the
Since this activity does not ask for a written

response, you might want students to print their
tessellations or save them electronically. If they
print the design, remind them that color will not
print (unless you have a color printer). You might
have them print the outline of the tessellation and
take it home to color it in and decorate with
details. If they save the sketch electronically,
remind them to use the Text tool to put their
names on the sketch and possibly describe their
constructions and tile patterns.
students name.
Q2 Reflection preserves lengths and angle
measures.
Q3 A figure and its reflected image are always
congruent.
Q4 The vertices of the triangle CDE go from C to
D to E in a counter-clockwise direction. The

vertices of the reflected triangle CDE go
from C to D to E in a clockwise direction.
Q5 The mirror line is the perpendicular bisector
of any segment connecting a point and its

reflected image.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate
Explore More
1.
This is a quick way to introduce the animation

button, with potentially exciting results. Have
students try it even if you have only an extra
minute or two.
2.
The process is the same for a regular hexagon,

except that there are three pairs of parallel
sides instead of two. So students can make
three different irregular edges on adjacent
sides, which they then translate across the
hexagon to the opposite sides. This tiling is
more interesting, but also more complex.
Explore More
1.
2.
Here is one way to perform this construction:

Construct a line through the given point,
perpendicular to the given mirror line. Then
construct a circle from the intersection of the
line and the perpendicular to the original
point. The other intersection of the circle and
the perpendicular is the reflected image of the
original point. For an extra challenge, try
doing this construction using only the
Euclidean tools, that is, not using the menu
at all.
Reflect a point across a line. Connect the point
with its image point. Also connect each of
these points with a third point on the line.
76 Activity NotesTeaching Geometry with The Geometers Sketchpad
The Euler Segment (page 20)
Napoleons Theorem (page 22)
Prerequisites: Students should know the names

of the different triangle centers: the incenter,
circumcenter, orthocenter, and centroid. This activity
introduces them to the Euler segment.
Prerequisites: Students should know the terms

equilateral triangle, midpoint, median, and centroid.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate/

Advanced. Students will be using custom tools.
Required Sketch: Triangle Centers.gsp
Sketchpad Proficiency: Advanced. This is not

a very difficult construction, but is rated for the
advanced user because it suggests using a custom
tool. This investigation is a good way
to introduce using custom tools to speed up a
construction.

Q1 The orthocenter, the centroid, and the
Q1 Segments joining the centroids of equilateral
circumcenter are always collinear.
triangles constructed on the sides of any

triangle form another equilateral triangle.
Q2 Here are some of the observations students
could make: In an equilateral triangle, all four

points are coincident. In an isosceles triangle,
all four points are collinear and lie along the
median to the vertex angle. In an acute
triangle, all four points lie inside the triangle.
In an obtuse triangle, the circumcenter and
orthocenter lie outside the triangle. In a right
triangle, the orthocenter lies on the vertex of
the right angle, and the circumcenter lies on
the midpoint of the hypotenuse.
Explore More
1.
The segments that each connect a vertex of the

original triangle with the most remote vertex
of the equilateral triangle on the opposite side
are all congruent.
Q3 The circumcenter and the orthocenter are the
endpoints of the Euler segment. The centroid

lies between them.
Q4 The distance from the orthocenter to the
centroid is twice the distance from the

centroid to the circumcenter.
Explore More
1.
Three of the points are the midpoints of the

sides of the original triangle. Three other
points are the points where the altitudes
intersect the opposite sides of the triangle (the
feet of the altitudes). The last three points are
the midpoints of the segments connecting the
orthocenter with each vertex.
2.
In an equilateral triangle, three pairs of points

coincide, reducing the nine points to six. In a
right triangle, three points coincide at the right
angle vertex, and a pair of points coincide at
each of two side midpoints, so the nine points
are reduced to five. In an isosceles right
triangle, the foot of the third altitude coincides
with the midpoint of a side, so the five points
in a right triangle are reduced to four.
Constructing Rhombuses (page 23)

Prerequisites: Students should be familiar with
the definition of a rhombus and also familiar with
various properties of a rhombus.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced. The more advanced the
user, the more construction methods that user
will discover.
Activity Time: 2045 minutes (depends entirely
on how long you choose to set students loose)
Notes
The more time you give students, the more
methods theyll come up with. Have students
drag vertices of their figures to make sure their
constructions are correct. Rhombuses that fall
apart and can turn into other shapes are
underconstrained. Constructions that remain
rhombuses but that cant take on all the shapes of
a rhombus are overconstrained. Here are various
methods for constructing a rhombus. The first is a
popular one that is overconstrained. The rest are
neither overconstrained nor underconstrained.
Method: Construct circles AB and BA. Construct
a rhombus connecting the centers and the two
points of intersection of the circles. (This is a
special rhombus, composed of two equilateral
triangles.)
Properties: A rhombus has four equal sides.
Method: Construct a circle AB and then segment

BC, where point C is on the circle. Reflect point A
across sBC. ABAC is a rhombus.
Properties: A rhombus has a pair of equal
consecutive sides and a line of symmetry through
their unshared endpoints.
Method: Construct a segment AB (to be a
diagonal) and its midpoint, C. Construct a
perpendicular through point C. Construct point D
on the perpendicular. Reflect point D across sAB.
ADBD is a rhombus.
Properties: The diagonals of a rhombus are
perpendicular and are axes of reflection
symmetry.
Method: Construct a segment AB to serve as half a
diagonal. Construct a perpendicular through point
B. Construct point C on the perpendicular. Rotate
points A and C 180 about point B. ACAC is a
rhombus.
Properties: The diagonals of a rhombus are
perpendicular and their point of intersection is a
center of 180 rotation symmetry.
Method: Construct a circle AB and point C on the
circle. Bisect angle BAC. Construct circle BA and
point D, the intersection of this circle and the
bisector. ABDC is a rhombus.
Properties: The sides of a rhombus are equal and
the diagonals bisect the angles.
Method: Construct circles AB and BA. Construct

circle CA, where point C is a point on circle AB.
Construct point D at the point of intersection of
circles BA and CA. ABDC is a rhombus.
Properties: A rhombus has four equal sides.
Method: Construct a circle AB and two radii.
Construct a parallel to each radius through the
endpoint of the other.
Properties: A rhombus has equal consecutive
sides and parallel opposite sides.
Method: Construct a segment AB and its midpoint
C. Construct a line through point C, perpendicular
to sAB. Construct circle CD, where point D is on the
perpendicular line. Construct point E, the other
intersection of the circle with the line. ADBE is a
rhombus.
Properties: The diagonals of a rhombus bisect
each other.
Midpoint Quadrilaterals (page 24)

Prerequisites: To make conjectures, students
should be able to identify parallelograms and other
special quadrilaterals. To explain their conjectures,
students need to know that the segment
connecting the midpoints of two sides of a triangle
(the midsegment) is parallel to the third side and
half as long.

(page 25)
Prerequisites: Students should know the terms
rectangle, square, area, and perimeter.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Advanced
Activity Time: 4050 minutes. If you are short on
time, you can stop after Q2. This leaves out the
exploration of the problem using the maxima and
minima of a graph.

Q1 As students drag point C, they should notice
Q1 The quadrilateral whose sides connect the
that the area of the rectangle changes but its

perimeter remains constant. Because sCB and
sCD are radii of the same circle, the sum of two
sides of the rectangle, AC + CD, is equal to AB.
Thus, AB is half the perimeter of the rectangle.
As long as this length is kept constant, the
perimeter of the rectangle will be constant.
midpoints of any quadrilateral is a

parallelogram. The measurements support
this conjecture because they show that the
opposite sides of the midpoint quadrilateral
are equal in length and that opposite sides
have equal slope (and therefore are parallel).
Q2 A diagonal divides the quadrilateral into two
triangles. Two sides of the midpoint

quadrilateral are midsegments of these
triangles. This means they are both parallel to
the diagonal and half as long. If one pair of
opposite sides of a quadrilateral are both
equal in length and parallel, the quadrilateral
is a parallelogram. (Students might construct
the other diagonal and use a second pair of
triangles to show that the other pair of sides of
the midpoint quadrilateral are also equal in
length and parallel.)
Q2 A square is the rectangle with the greatest area
for a given perimeter.

Q3 The coordinates of the high point of the graph
show the side length and area of the

maximum-area rectangle. The side length at
this point verifies that the rectangle with the
maximum area is a square.
Q4 The low points on the graph show where the
area of the rectangle is zero. This happens

when AC is zero and when AC = AB.
You might want to discuss with students why the
locus graph of (side length, area) of a rectangle is a
parabola.
Explore More
1.
Regular polygons have maximum area for a

given perimeter. Polygons with more sides are
more efficient. The circle is the closed planar
figure that gives maximum area for a given
perimeter.
2.
The area of the rectangle can be represented

by the equation A = x[(1/2)P x]. The graph is
a parabola with roots 0 and (1/2)P. So the
x-value of the maximum point is (1/4)P. Since
the side length of the maximum area rectangle
is 1/4 the rectangles perimeter, the rectangle
must be a square.

Pythagorean Theorem (page 27)
Prerequisites: Students will appreciate this more
if they already have some experience with the
Activity Time: 1015 minutes. This short
demonstration works well even if you have only a
single computer with an overhead viewing device.
You might coordinate it with any of the other
activities in this section.
Required Sketch: Shear Pythagoras.gsp
Q1 In this sketch, the squares on the sides of a
right triangle are sheared, without changing

their areas, so that a shape on the legs is
congruent to a shape on the hypotenuse. This
shows that the sum of the areas of the original
squares on the legs of a right triangle is equal
to the area of the original square on the
hypotenuse, thus demonstrating the
The Golden Rectangle (page 28)

Prerequisites: Students should have experience
with setting up proportions, such as those used to
describe relationships in similar polygons.
Students will be more impressed with this activity
if theyve already learned something about golden
rectangles and their significance. A fun activity is
to have students take a poll to choose the most
popular rectangle in a group of rectangles, one
or two of which are golden. Golden rectangles
tend to win hands down.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Advanced. Students
should be familiar with making and using custom
tools.
Q1 is approximately 1.618. Students answers
will vary depending on their Scalars Precision

settings in Preferences.
Q2 Region DFGC is also a golden rectangle
because the custom tool for constructing a

golden rectangle creates a shape that fits
perfectly inside it.
Explore More
1.
The proportion in the 1-by- rectangle matches

the proportion at the top of the first page of
the activity, except that a = 1 and
b = . So we have:
/1 = (1 + )/. Cross-multiplying gives
2 = 1 + , or 2 1 = 0.
The two solutions generated by the quadratic
formula are
1+ 5
= 1.618... and
2
1 5
= 0.618...
2
The positive solution gives the golden ratio.
2.
2 = 2.618..., which equals + 1. This is verified

in the quadratic equation in the last problem.
1/ = 0.618..., which equals 1. To prove this
algebraically, start with the definition
/1 = (1 + )/. So = (1/) + 1. Solve for 1/
to get 1/ = 1.
A Sine Wave Tracer (page 30)
Adding Integers (page 32)

the Cartesian coordinate system. The activity is most
meaningful to students who have begun studying
trigonometry.
Student Audience: Pre-algebra/Algebra 1

Prerequisites: None. This will be a review topic
for most Algebra 1 students.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner. Students
manipulate a pre-made sketch.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate


Q1 As you drag point D, point F moves
horizontally.
Q2 As you drag point E around the circle, point F
moves vertically up and down like a sewingmachine needle.

Q3 Answers will vary. Students might sketch a
path somewhat like the curve below.

Q4 The sketch will look something like this. Also,
if students leave the animation running, they

will probably get a series of curves like this
that will start to fill in the area around the
curve.
Q5 The unit circle has a circumference of 2,
about 6.28 grid units.
Required Sketch: Add Integers.gsp. Extra pages

(not referred to in the activity) include a vertical
version of the addition model and a version that
doesnt round to integers.
General Notes: This activity works well as an
introduction to integer addition for pre-algebra
students, a start-of-the-year refresher for Algebra 1
students, or a supplemental activity for any
student having difficulty with the topic. The most
important thing is for students to actually study,
understand, and use the number-line sketch. Even
the strongest students make careless mistakes with
integers due to relying too much on verbal rules;
having an internalized picture can help. Teachers
may need to encourage students who already have
some experience with integers to approach this
activity with a mind open to fresh perspectives.
Q1 9
Q6 For the trace to repeat itself without tracing a
new curve, the length of sAB must be an

integer multiple of the circumference of the
circle. The circumference of the circle is 2, or
about 6.28 grid units, so the x-coordinate of
point B should be about 6.28.
Q2 Its similar in that if you ignore all the
negative signs, the answer is the same. For

example, 3 + 9 = 12 and ()3 + ()9 = ()12.
Its different in that the answer turns out to
be negative instead of positive.
Q3 No, not possible. The reason is that youre
starting to the left of the origin (because the

first number is negative) and youre moving
further left (because the second number is
negative). You cant do this and end up to
the right of the origin.
Q4 0
Q5 Each must be the opposite of the other.
Q6 3
Q7 If the bigger number (longest arrow/
greatest absolute value) is positive, the sum

will be positive. If the bigger number
(longest arrow/greatest absolute value) is
negative, the sum will be negative.
Q8 Since the arrows go in opposite directions,
in a way you are actually subtracting values.

Completely ignoring negative signs for now,
the answer is always the bigger addend minus
the smaller addend. For example, 7 + (5) = 2
and 7 5 = 2. Also, 9 + 8 = 1 and 9 8 = 1.
Q9 a.
positive
b. negative
c. its opposite
d. positive; negative
Note that while these rules are important,
memorizing them isnt necessary if students
remember the number line and arrows.
Explore More
1.
a.
It makes sense because all that changes is

the order in which you move one way or
the other. Moving three steps to the right,
then five steps to the left is the same as
moving five steps to the left, then three
steps to the right.
b.
Yes, it does.

(page 35)
Student Audience: Pre-algebra/Algebra 1
Prerequisites: Familiarity with the Cartesian
plane. The term absolute value is used and briefly
defined, but it isnt a major focus of the activity.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner. Students
construct points and measure their coordinates.
Required Sketch: Line Up.gsp
General Notes: The purpose of this activity is to
give students an informal and experiential
introduction to the relationship between
descriptions of coordinate patterns and graphs in
the Cartesian plane. Too often, students dont
really get the connection between an equation
and the graph it produces. Its important for
students to understand that graphs represent the
set of points whose coordinates satisfy an
equation. This activity attempts to foster that
understanding.
Thus, any sort of class or group discussion that
encourages students to ponder this relationship
(Why do the points line up in such regular
ways? If you could plot not just five, but every
point that satisfies the description, what would
that look like?) will deepen the experience.
Q1 In each case, the answer shown depicts all
possible answers with integer coordinates on

the grid provided. The question asks for five
answers, so any five of the points shown is a
correct response.
a.
6
3
-10
-5
10
10
-3
-6
b.
6
3
-10
-5
-3
-6
c.
Q2 a.
6
3
-10
-5
b.
The y-coordinate is one less than the

x-coordinate.
c.
The y-coordinate is twice the

x-coordinate. (Or, the x-coordinate is
one-half the y-coordinate.)
10
-3
-6
d.
d. The y-coordinate is two less than twice

the x-coordinate.
6
3
-10
-5
e.
The y-coordinate is one-third the

x-coordinate. (Or, the x-coordinate is
three times the y-coordinate.)
f.
The y-coordinate is always 1

(regardless of the value of the
x-coordinate).
g.
The y-coordinate is the opposite of the

absolute value of the x-coordinate. (An
acceptable alternate answer for students
not familiar with the term absolute value
might be The y-coordinate is the
negative value of the x-coordinate,
regardless of whether the x-coordinate is
positive or negative.)
10
-3
-6
e.
6
3
-10
-5
10
-3
-6
f.
h. The product of the y-coordinate and the

x-coordinate is 6.
6
3
-10
-5
Explore More
5
10
1.
-3
6
3
-10
-5
2.
5
10
10
-3
-6
h.
6
3
-10
-5
-3
-6
Q1: a. y = x
b. y = x + 1
d. y = 2x + 1 e. y = x
g. y = |x|
h. y = x2
c. y = 2x
f. x + y = 5
Q2: a. y = x
b. y = x 1 c. y = 2x
d. y = 2x 2 e. y = (1/3)x or x = 3y
f. y = 1
g. y = |x| h. xy = 6
-6
g.
The y-coordinate equals the

x-coordinate.
Answers will vary.

Heres how to set up the Movement button
(more detailed instructions are on page 2 of
Line Up.gsp): Plot the eight destination points
using the Plot Point command. Select all 16
points in the sketch in the following order:
point A, point As destination, point B, point
Bs destination, point C, point Cs destination,
. . . , point H, point Hs destination. Now,
choose Movement from the Action Buttons
submenu of the Edit menu. Change the speed
and label (on the Label panel) if youd like,
and then click OK. Now hide the eight
destination points (using the Hide command
in the Display menu).
Parabolas in Vertex Form (page 38)

Student Audience: Algebra 1/Algebra 2
Prerequisites: Students need to understand
the basic idea of a function and the role that the
variables x and y play in the equation and graph
of a function. Solving simple linear equations for
one unknown after substituting given values for
other unknowns is also part of this activity.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate/Advanced
Activity Time: 4050 minutes without the
Explore More section.
Required Sketch: Vertex Form.gsp
Q1 Many possible answers. This is a good
calculator activity for substituting an x-value

into the right side of a function to determine a
y-value. Any small discrepancy is due to
Sketchpads rounding (depending on the
Precision settings in Preferences).
Q2 If a is positive, the parabola opens up; if a is
negative, the parabola opens down. The larger

the absolute value of a, the narrower the
parabola. The closer a is to zero, the wider
the parabola.
Q3 The coordinates of the vertex are (h, k).
Q4 The parabola moves right and left as h
changes (right as h gets bigger, left as it gets

smaller). The parabola moves up and down as
k changes (up as k gets bigger, down as it gets
smaller).
Q5 a. y = 5(x 1)2 1
b.
c.
d.
e.
y = 0.5(x + 4)2 3
y = 0.5(x 5)2 + 2
y = 2(x 2)2 2
y = 4(x + 1)2 + 3
Its very important that students find the

equations of these parabolas using paper and
pencil calculations and use Sketchpad to check
their answers. Slider accuracy may account for
small differences.
Q6 x = 3; x = h
Q7 (1, 9)
Explore More
1.
Since x = h is the axis of symmetry, (2h s, t) is

the symmetry point.
2.
The axis of symmetry is perpendicular to the

x-axis and passes through the vertex (h, k).

(page 41)
Student Audience: Algebra 1
Prerequisites: Familiarity with the Cartesian
plane.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner/Intermediate
Class Time: 3040 minutes
Example Sketch: Reflect.gsp. The pages of this
sketch show the activity after steps 6, 10, 13, and
16. We recommend that you not try to shorten the
activity by having students start at one of these
junctures as the process of doing the actual
geometric work is key to understanding the later
algebraic process.
General Notes: This activity works well as a
brush-up for students having problems with the
coordinate plane, as an introduction to using
Sketchpad for both geometry and algebra, and as a
preparation for function transformation in the
subsequent activity.
Before starting this activity, it would be good to
brainstorm what students already know about
reflection. A useful question to discuss
anticipating questions 4 and 6is If you stand
3 ft. from a mirror, how far do you appear to be
from your reflected image?
Construction Tips
Step 4: You may choose instead to leave Fade
Traces Over Time unchecked so that traces remain
on screen to be examined. In this case, students
would periodically need to choose Erase Traces
from the Display menu to clear traces from their
screens.
Step 14: The reason for using Coordinate Distance
instead of Length or Distance from the Measure
menu is that students may have rescaled their
axes at some point (so that coordinate units are
different than the distance units of centimeters or
inches). If students havent touched the unit point,
any of the three commands would work here too.
Q1 Dragging a reflecting point results in a
mirror pattern with the two traces mirroring

each other across the line. Dragging a line
point causes the reflected image point to draw
a circle around the other line point. (The
radius of this circle is the distance between the
other line point and the reflecting pre-image.)
Q2 The line is the segments perpendicular bisector,
meaning that the angle they form is 90 and

the line cuts the segment in half.
Q3 (a, b)
Q4 2a may be considered an acceptable answer; a
more technically correct answer is |2a| or

2|a|. The absolute value signs ensure that the
answer will be positive even if a is negative.
This is desirable because the distance between
two things is always considered to be positive
(or 0).
Q5 (c, d)
Q6 2d, |2d|, or 2|d| (See the answer to Q4
above.)
Walking Rex: An Introduction to

Vectors (page 44)
Student Audience: Algebra 1/Algebra 2
Prerequisites: None. This activity is designed to
be a first introduction to vectors.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner. Students work
with a pre-made sketch.
Class Time: 2030 minutes. It may be possible to
do this activity and the follow-up activity, Vector
Addition and Subtraction, in one class period. We
recommend using two periods, though, so that the
material has more of a chance to sink in.
Required Sketch: Walk the Dog.gsp
Explore More
Walk the Dog
1.
Q1 The magnitude stays the same. (In other
2.
The coordinates switch places. In other words,

the image of a point (a, b) reflected across the
line y = x is the point (b, a).
These three transformations are equivalent.
The coordinates of (a, b) after any of the
transformations is (a, b).
words, Rex is always the same distancethe

length of his leashfrom the tree.)
Q2 a.
b.
c.
(4.33, 2.50)
(0, 5)
(3.54, 3.54)
Note that the x-coordinate in a. and both

coordinates in c. are approximationsthe
answers students get may be slightly different.
(The exact value of the x-coordinate in a. is
2.5 3 and the exact value of either coordinate

in c. is 2.5 2 .)
Q3 a.
magnitude: 5; direction: 0
b. magnitude: 5; direction: 53.13
c. magnitude: 5; direction: 270
d. magnitude: 5; direction: 233.13
Note that the direction values in b. and d. are
both approximationsthe answers students
get may be slightly different. (The exact value
for b. is arctan(4/3) and for d. its that value
plus 180.)
Q4 Rex should move to (5, 0) to get away from
the ladybug when shes at (5, 0), and (3, 4) to

get away from her when shes at (3, 4).
In general, vectors (a, b) and (a, b) face
opposite directions.
Q5 The only things that change when vector j is
dragged are the locations of its head and tail.

The first method for defining vectors uses
magnitude and directionneither of these
changes as j is dragged. The second uses the
coordinates of the head when the tail is at the
origin. Regardless of where the head and tail
actually are, the coordinates of the head still
would be the same if the tail were at the origin.
Q6 (82, 84). No matter where youre standing, Rex
is 2 units to the right of you and 4 units

north of you.
Q7 Walk 2: (83, 81). Drag the vector so that you
are at the origin. Rex will be at (3, 1), meaning

that he is always 3 units to the right of you
and 1 unit north of you.
Walk 3: (74, 83). Drag the vector so that you
are at (8, 6). Rex is at (2, 9), meaning that he is
always 6 units to the left of you and 3 units
north of you.
Leonardo da Vincis Proof (page 46)

Construct
Difficulty: Moderate. The construction itself isnt
difficult, but careful selection is required to make
the action buttons work properly.
1.
Make sure students dont construct a square

on the hypotenuse.
5.
Hide/Show is a command in the Action

Buttons submenu of the Edit menu. The
command produces both a hide and a show
button simultaneously. The buttons can be
relabeled by double-clicking on them with the
Text tool.
Investigate
If students play the buttons in the suggested
sequence, theyll see a sequence of figures like
those below:
Q8 Walk 2: (86, 82). If the leash were twice as
long, Rex would be 6 units to the right of you

and 2 units north of you.
Walk 3: (68, 86). If the leash were twice as
long, Rex would be 12 units to the left of you
and 6 units north of you.
Prove
Difficulty: Easy
The initial figure shows two identical right
triangles with sides a, b, and c, and two squares
with side lengths a and b. None of the
transformations performed change the area of the
figure. In the final figure, we have two triangles
identical to the two triangles in the initial figure,
and between them we have a square with side
length c. Therefore, the sum of the areas of the two
squares in the initial figure (a2 + b2) must equal the
area of the square in the final figure (c2).

(page 49)
Playing Detective
Prerequisites: For students to complete the proof,

theyll need to know the distance definition of an
ellipse and the SAS triangle congruency theorem.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate.
Students build a perpendicular bisector line
and follow the steps of an extended construction.
In step 21, students are asked to construct the

point of tangency to their ellipse. The point of
tangency lies at the intersection of the crease line
and segment AC.
How to Prove It
Q8 Since the crease line is the perpendicular
bisector of segment BC, we have DB = DC

and EDB = EDC = 90. And, of course,
ED = ED. Thus, by the SAS triangle
congruency theorem, jBED jCED.

Required Sketch: Folded Circle.gsp
General Notes: Of all the ellipse construction
methods, this is the one most likely to elicit oohs
and aahs. Once students get the hang of folding
their circles, they find it amazing to watch their
creases gradually come together in the outline of
an ellipse. The equivalent Sketchpad model is
equally impressive.
Constructing a Physical Model
jCED, the corresponding sides

BE and CE are equal.
Q9 Since jBED
Q10 If point E traces an ellipse, then AE + BE must
be constant. Substituting CE for BE gives:

AE + BE = AE + CE = AC = the radius of the
circle, which is constant
Explore More
Q1 Points A and B are the foci.
1.
When point B lies outside the circle, the

creases outline a hyperbola. Its tempting
to think that when point B lies on the circle,
the creases will form a parabola, but, in fact,
they dont!
2.
AEH = CED, as they are vertical angles.

Since jBED jCED, we have CED =
BED. Putting these two equalities together
gives AEH = BED.
Q2 The ellipse would appear skinnier and more
elongated.
Q3 The ellipse would appear fatter and more
like a circle.
In step 11, students must study the geometry of
their crease lines. Specifically, given points C and
B, how do you use Sketchpad to construct the
crease formed when C is folded onto B? (The
crease is the perpendicular bisector of segment
CB.)
As preparation for this construction step, you
might ask students to take a fresh sheet of
notebook paper, mark two random points, fold
one onto the other, then unfold the paper. What is
the geometric relationship of the crease line to the
two points?
Q4 The ellipse becomes skinnier and more
elongated.
(A full-page advertisement for elliptic pool

tables appeared in the July 1, 1964, issue of
The New York Times. Actors Paul Newman and
Joanne Woodward made an in-store
appearance to promote the game.
On a related topic, students can search the
Internet for information about the sound
reflection properties of whispering
galleries.)
3.
Points A and B are the foci of the ellipse.

BC + CA = (r + p) + (R p) = r + R, which
is constant
Q5 The ellipse becomes fatter and looks more
like a circle.
Q6 The creases all pass through the circles center,
point A.
Q7 The creases outline a circle.

(page 53)
Prerequisites: For students to complete the proof,
theyll need some information about geometric
means (provided in the activity) and the algebraic
definition of a parabola. If you omit the proof,
there are no prerequisites.
Sketchpad Proficiency: Intermediate. Students
construct several perpendicular lines and follow
the steps of an extended construction.
Required Sketch: Geometric Mean.gsp
Q1 The curve always passes through point A and
How to Prove It
Q4 AF = x; AD = y
Q5 (AF)2 = (AB)(AD) or equivalently, x2 = 3y
Q6 Point G is the reflection of point H across
the y-axis. Since the y-axis serves as the

parabolas line of symmetry, point G must
also sit on the parabola.
Q7 When AB = s, we have x2 = sy.
Explore More
1.
Return to your expanding circle sketch and

add segments DE and EB to the construction.
As you drag point C, notice that jDEB
remains a right triangle as it is inscribed in
a semicircle.
is symmetric across the y-axis, but it appears

to become wider as point B is dragged
downward.
Q2 If you had only a compass and straightedge
available, you would need to draw a collection

of individual circles, each passing through
point B with a center somewhere along the
positive y-axis. Then, moving from circle to
circle, you would construct the necessary lines
to locate points G and H (a pair of points for
each circle). Using graph paper could help
by providing rough guidelines for
the perpendiculars.
The Geometric Mean
Q3 The proof below follows the setup on the
second page of the sketch Geometric

Mean.gsp.
As all angles inscribed in a semicircle
are right angles, DGE = 90. Since
GDF + DGF = 90 = EGF + DGF,
we have GDF = EGF. Thus right triangles
DFG and GFE are similar. Based on this
similarity, we can write the proportion
a x
DF FG
=
or equivalently, =
x b
GF FE
2
Cross-multiplying gives x = ab.
Distances in an Equilateral Triangle

(page 56)
Q2 Increasing or decreasing the size of the
equilateral triangle increases or decreases the

sum. However, for a triangle of any given size,
moving point P around inside the triangle
doesnt change the sum.
Prerequisites: Area formulas for triangles,

elementary algebra (factorization).
Required Sketch: Distance.gsp
General Notes: This activity is intended as a first
introduction to proof as a means of explanation.
The language you use is crucial in this
introductory phase of the study of proof. Students
find it much more meaningful if instead of saying,
as usual, We cannot be sure that this result is true
for all possible variations, and we therefore have
to (deductively) prove it to make absolutely sure,
you instead say, We now know this result to be
true from our extensive experimental
investigation. Let us now see if we can explain
why it is true in terms of other well-known
geometric resultsin other words, how it is the
logical consequence of other results.
Avoid using the word proof initially; use the word
explanation instead to emphasize the intended
function of the given deductive argument. The
word proof, in everyday language, predominantly
carries with it the idea of verification or conviction
(which students grasp firmly once theyve
explored a result extensively on Sketchpad), and
to use it in an introductory context would
implicitly convey this meaning, even if the
intended meaning was that of explanation.
The verification meaning of proof is, of course,
important and will be developed in some of the
later activities; at that time, it will become
appropriate to start using the word proof for the
given deductive arguments.
Q3 The sum of the distances is not constant.
(However, if we consider distances falling

completely outside the triangle as negative,
the result still holdssee the answer to Q11.)
Q4 In an equilateral triangle, the sum of the
distances from a point inside the triangle to its

sides is constant.
Explaining
Q5 The three sides are all equal, but since their
lengths may vary, they are indicated by the

same variable, a.
Q6 The areas of the triangles are, respectively:
0.5ah1, 0.5ah2, and 0.5ah3.

Q7 Sum 0.5ah1 + 0.5ah2 + 0.5ah3 = 0.5a(h1 + h2 + h3).
Q8 Area of whole triangle = sum of areas of small
triangles. Therefore, if we represent the area of

the whole triangle by A, it follows that
h1 + h2 + h3 = 2A/a.
Q9 For an equilateral triangle of fixed size, its area
A and its side length a are constant. Therefore,

the sum of the distances h1 + h2 + h3 is also
constant.
Q10 The sum of the distances is equal to the
altitude of the original triangle, say H. This

can be explained as follows:
0.5aH = 0.5a(h1 + h2 + h3) H = h1 + h2 + h3
Q11 The sum of the distances will remain constant
Conjecture
A ready-made sketch is provided, since it is timeconsuming for students to first construct an
equilateral triangle. In addition, the actual
construction of the sketch plays no part in the
specific learning objective of making and
explaining a conjecture. Students can, however,
drag and measure sides of the triangle to check
that it is indeed equilateral.
Students will tend to think first that the optimum
position for point P is at the center of the
equilateral triangle, and it therefore comes as quite
a surprise when they later find that the sum of the
distances is actually independent of the position of
point P.
Q1 The sum of the distances remains constant.
only if there is a common factor 0.5a that can

be taken out of the three areas; that is, the
triangle must be equilateral.
This result is in fact also true if point P is dragged
outside the triangle, but an explanation requires
the introduction of directed line segments
(distances falling completely outside are
considered negative). For example, consider the
figure where point P lies outside, as indicated. In
this case, the sum of the areas of triangles PAB,
PBC, and PCA is not the area of jABC. To again
obtain the area of jABC, we now have to subtract
the area of jPAB from the sum of the other two.
Therefore, in this case we have H = h1 + h2 h3.
b. The proof is the same as for the

equilateral triangle, since all the sides are
equal. The result is generalizable to regular
(equisided) polygons. In general, we would
have for any equisided n-gon An (n > 2)
with side length a that
h3
3.
h1
h2
P
In order to make the general formula

H = h1 + h2 + h3 work, we therefore need to
consider distances as negative if they fall
completely outside the triangle. However,
considering P outside the triangle may complicate
things unnecessarily for students at this stage. You
can come back to this result at a later stage to deal
with this aspect of it if you wish.
Further Exploration
1.
To find the minimum sum for an arbitrary

triangle, the point P has to be situated at the
vertex opposite the longest side (where the
altitude is the smallest).
2.
a. The sum of the distances from P to the

sides of a rhombus is constant (see below).
Distance(P to segment n) = 2.43 cm
Distance(P to segment m) = 0.81 cm
Distance(P to segment k) = 1.74 cm
Distance(P to segment j) = 3.36 cm
Distance(P to segment j) + Distance(P to segment k)
+ . . . + . . . = 8.33 cm
m
C
P
Distance(P to segment n) = 2.64 cm

Distance(P to segment m) = 2.15 cm
Distance(P to segment k) = 1.52 cm
Distance(P to segment j) = 2.02 cm
Distance(P to segment j) + Distance(P to segment k)
+ . . . + . . . = 8.33 cm
m
a. The sum of the distances from P to the

sides of a parallelogram is constant (see
below).
h3
h1
h4
h2
b. The sum h1 + h2 is constant, since the

distance between the two opposite parallel
sides is constant. Similarly, h3 + h4 is
constant. Therefore, h1 + h2 + h3 + h4 is
constant (equal to the sum of the two
distances between the pairs of opposite
sides). The result is generalizable to any
polygon with an even number of sides and
opposite sides that are equal and parallel
(that is, a parallelo-2n-gon (n > 1)), where
the sum of the 2n distances to the sides will
be equal to the sum of the n distances
between the pairs of opposite sides.
Another possibility to consider is the
generalization to three dimensions (and more).
Since the 3D analog of a triangle is a tetrahedron,
students may first want to consider a regular
tetrahedron. Instead of working with areas and
distances, they will now need to work with
volumes and areas. After further reflection, they
should realize that the sum of the distances to the
four faces of a tetrahedron, with all four faces
having the same area a, would also be constant.
For example, a point P inside the tetrahedron
divides it into four tetrahedra, so that
n
i = 1 hi = 2 n .
a
(1/3)aH = (1/3)a(h1 + h2 + h3 + h4)

H = h 1 + h2 + h3 + h4
Note that if the area of each face is the same, the
height H from each face to the opposite vertex
must also be the same, since its volume is
constant. But this does not imply that the
tetrahedron is necessarily regular.
k
P
Varignon Area (page 60)

Prerequisites: Kite Midpoints activity or
knowledge of the result that the line connecting
the midpoints of two sides of a triangle is parallel
to the third side and half its length. Properties of
parallelograms. Conditions for congruency.
parallelograms), and angle EFB = angle FFC

(directly opposite angles).
Q15 jHDG is congruent to jGCG (SAS).
Q16 Similar to 14.
Q17 jAEH is congruent to jCFG (SSS).
Q18 From Q13, we have CF = BE, but BE = AE.
Required Sketch: Varignon.gsp
Therefore, AE = CF. Similarly, from Q17, we

have AH = CG.
Conjecture
Q1 EFGH is a parallelogram. (This is true even for
concave and crossed cases.)

Q2 The area of the parallelogram is half that of
Also, EH = FG (corresponding sides of

translated parallelograms).
Q19 jFGC is common to both ABCD and FGGF.
Therefore, the sum of the areas of the triangles

is equal to that of FGGF, and therefore to that
of EFGH.
the original quadrilateral.

Q3 No.
Q4 No.
Q5 The midpoints of the sides of a quadrilateral
form a parallelogram.
Q6 Responses will vary.
Present Your Proof

Provides an opportunity for students to synthesize
the argument and write it up in a coherent way.
Further Exploration
Proving
Q7 sEF || sAC || sHG, since E and F are midpoints of
sides AB and CB in triangle ABC and H and G

are midpoints of sides AD and CD in triangle
ADC.
Q8 sEH || sBD || sFG (same reasons).
A
C
Q9 sEF || sHG and sEH || sFG, so opposite sides are
parallel, and therefore EFGH is a

parallelogram. Another way of proving it is to
note in Q7 that not only is sEF || sHG, but since
both EF and HG are equal to half AC, they are
also equal to each other. So one pair of
opposite sides are equal and parallel, from
which it follows that EFGH is a parallelogram.
Note: You may also wish to ask your students
to prove that the result is also true in the
concave and crossed cases. The proofs are
similar, except that now one or both diagonals
fall outside.
Q10 There are four triangles lying outside EFGH,
namely AEH, DHG, CGF, and BFE.

Q11 The sum of the areas of these triangles must be
equal to the area of EFGH.

Q12 The translated quadrilateral is congruent to
G
D
This proof is a little tricky. In the concave case,

only three triangles, namely AEH, DHG, and BFE,
fall within ABCD. The remaining triangle CGF
now falls outside ABCD. If we use the notation
(XYZ) to represent the area of a polygon XYZ,
then (ABCD) = (AEH) + (BFE) + (DHG) + (EFGH)
(CGF) = (AEH) + (BFE) + (DHG) (CGF) + (EFGH).
In other words, we now have to prove that (AEH)
+ (BFE) + (DHG) (CGF) = (EFGH). From the
translation, EFGH is still congruent to FGGF. As
before, triangles EBF and FCF, triangles HDG and
GCG, and triangles AEH and CFG are congruent.
But if we subtract the area of triangle CGF from
the sum of the areas of triangles GCG, CFG, and
FCF, we obtain the area of parallelogram FGGF,
which is equal to that of EFGH. Q.E.D.
EFGH (property of translation), so it is also a

parallelogram with area equal to that of
EFGH.
Q13 jEBF is congruent to jFCF (SAS).
Q14 FB = FC (F is midpoint of BC); FE = FF
(corresponding sides of translated

Alternative Proof
There are several different ways of proving this

result. It might be instructive for your students to
work through hints such as those given here.
C
E
G
D
Hints
H
1.
Express the area of EFGH in terms of the area

of ABCD and the areas of triangles AEH, CFG,
BEF, and DHG.
B
E
G
A
2.
Drop a perpendicular from A to sBD and

express the area of triangle AEH in terms of
the area of triangle ABD.
3.
Similarly, express the areas of triangles CFG,

BEF, and DHG, respectively, in terms of the
areas of triangles CBD, BAC, and DAC, and
substitute in 1.
4.
Simplify the equation in 3 to obtain the

desired result.
Crossed Quadrilaterals
It is also true for the crossed quadrilateral ABCD
that EFGH has half its area, as some of your
students may have found on Sketchpad. However,
the proof is even more tricky and first requires
consideration of what we mean by the area of a
crossed quadrilateral. Let us now first carefully try
to define a general area formula for convex and
concave quadrilaterals. It seems natural to define
the area of a convex quadrilateral to be the sum
of the areas of the two triangles into which it is
decomposed by a diagonal. For example, diagonal
sAC decomposes the area as follows (see first
figure):
(ABCD) = (ABC) + (CDA)
A
Proof
1.
2.
Using the notation (XYZ) for the area of a

polygon XYZ, we have (EFGH) = (ABCD)
(AEH) (CFG) (BEF) (DHG).
If the height of jABD is h, then (ABD) =

0.5BD h and (AEH) = 0.5(0.5BD)(0.5h) =
0.25(ABD), or simply, the base and the height
are half those of the large triangle.
3.
(EFGH) = (ABCD) 0.25(ABD) 0.25(CBD)

0.25(BAC) 0.25(DAC).
4.
(EFGH) = (ABCD) 0.25(ABCD) 0.25(ABCD)

= 0.5(ABCD).
D
C
Further Discussion
You may also want your students to work through
an explanation for the concave case, because it is
generically different. For example, unless the
notation is carefully reformulated (e.g., see crossed
quadrilaterals, below), the equation in 1 does not
hold in the concave case, but becomes (EFGH) =
(ABCD) (AEH) (CFG) (BEF) + (DHG) (see
below). However, substituting into this equation
as before, and simplifying, leads to the same
conclusion.
In order to make this formula work for the

concave case as well (see second figure), we
obviously need to define (CDA) = (ADC). In other
words, we can regard the area of a triangle as
being positive or negative depending on whether its
vertices are named in counter-clockwise or clockwise
order. For example:
(ABC) = (BCA) = (CAB) = (CBA)
= (BAC) = (ACB)
Visualizing Change: Velocity (page 7)

the concept of velocity, as well as how to find the
slope and equation of a line on a position vs. time
plot.
Applying the above formula and definition of area

in a crossed quadrilateral (see figure above), we
find that diagonal AC decomposes its area as
follows:
(ABCD) = (ABC) + (CDA) = (ABC) (ADC)
In other words, this formula forces us to regard
the area of a crossed quadrilateral as the
difference between the areas of the two small
triangles ABO and ODC. [Note that diagonal BD
similarly decomposes (ABCD) into (BCD) + (DAB)
= (DCB) + (DAB)]. An interesting consequence of
this is that a crossed quadrilateral will have zero
area if the areas of triangles ABO and ODC are
equal.
E
F
A
Using this valuable notation, the result can now

simultaneously be proved for all three cases
(convex, concave, and crossed) as follows:
(EFGH) = (ABCD) (AEH) (FCG)
(EBF) (DHG)
= (ABCD) 0.25(ABD) 0.25(CDB)
0.25(BCA) 0.25(DAC)
= (ABCD) 0.25(ABCD) 0.25(ABCD)
= 0.5(ABCD)

Required Sketch: Velocity.gsp
General Notes: In this activity, students will be
able to visualize the sentence A particle moves
with velocity by controlling the velocity
themselves, as you might do with a remote control
toy car (or your own automobile, for that matter!).
Students will observe both the motion of the
particlea pointon a line, as well as a plot of
time and position. In the Extension, you will see
how to create such a demonstration yourself.
D
B
Sketchpad Proficiency: Beginner/Intermediate.

Students will need to measure coordinates and
move objects in the plane.
In the document Velocity.gsp, a point Me2d has

been constructed in the plane. The y-coordinate of
this point has been used to create a point, Me, on
a line at the top of the sketch. In Q1, the position
of this point on the line is determined by the
y-coordinate of point Me2d. If point Me2d has a
y-coordinate of 3, then point Me will be 3 units from
point Home (as determined by the scale of the yaxis). In Q2, if the y-coordinate of point Me2d does
not change, neither will the location of point Me.
The x-coordinate of point Me2d represents time.
When students show the velocity control, a point
FutureMe will also be shown. This point shows the
time and position of point Me2d if the point has
constant velocity, as determined by the slider for
velocity. In Q3, with the time control set to 0.5, and
the velocity control set to 2, point Me2d will move
right 0.5 unit and up 1 unit.
In Q4, different time settings will simply move
point FutureMe along a line with a slope equal to
the velocity setting. In Q5, changing the velocity
setting will change the slope of the line (not
shown) between point Me2d and point FutureMe.
At all times, the slope of this line will equal the
velocity setting.
In Sketchpad, you can make points chase each
other, and that is what will happen when you
press the Animate Time button. Point Me2d will
move toward point FutureMe. In Q6 through Q10,
you will see point Me2d move along a line with a
slope equal to the velocity setting. With the

velocity set to 0, the point will create a horizontal
line, and point Me will not move at all.
Even more interesting is what happens when you
change the velocity during the chase. Point
Me2d will try to follow the point FutureMe at all
times, even as point FutureMe moves itself. By
changing the velocity value, you change the slope
between the two points, and the trace will curve
down if you decrease the velocity and curve
upward when you increase it.
You will see this behavior in Q11 through Q14.
Increasing the velocity will create a concave up
trace, while decreasing it will create a concave
down trace. Switching from increasing to
decreasing, but leaving the velocity the same sign,
will cause your trace to have a point of inflection.
Changing from a positive to a negative velocity
will create a maximum in your trace maximum,
while changing from a negative to a positive will
create a minimum.
In a very real sense, what you are doing here is
tracing the antiderivative of the velocity function
you are creating by your movement of the velocity
slider as time passes.
Explore More
Students can trace a function plot by adjusting the
slope of the trace as they go.
Extension
To create a similar demonstration, construct a
point in the plane (Me2d). Create a slider to
represent time, and a slider to represent velocity.
Add the time value to the x-coordinate of Me2d.
Then, multiply the time value by the velocity
value, and add this to the y-coordinate of Me2d.
Plot these two new measurements as a point in the
plane (FutureMe). Create a Move button to have
Me2d chase FutureMe, and youre off and moving!
To create the particle itself to show motion along a
line, create a line using the Line tool, and
construct a point on this line (or use the x-axis and
the origin, if you wish to model AP questions of
this form). The coordinates of this point will serve
as your origin. Add the y-coordinate of Me2d to
the x-coordinate of your origin, and then plot this
result and the y-coordinate of your origin as a
point in the plane. A point will be created on your
line whose position on the line is determined by
the y-coordinate of Me2d, and will move as point
Me2d moves.
Going Off on a Tangent (page 59)

representing average rates as secant slopes, and
with the idea of the derivative as the limit of the
average rate of change.
Students will need to measure coordinates and
move objects in the plane.
Required Sketch: Tangents.gsp
General Notes: In this activity, students will
visualize the instantaneous rate of change of a
function as a tangent line to the plot of the
function and use the slope of the tangent line to
speculate about the derivative.
In the document Tangents.gsp, point P is a point
on a function plot. A tangent line has been
constructed to the plot of f through point P by
calculating the derivative of f (using the
Derivative command) at the x-value of point P
and using the derivative value to plot the equation
of the tangent line through point P. These
calculations are hidden, as the activity assumes
only that students are familiar with the derivative
as a limit of average rates of change.
In Q1, Q2, and Q3, students can move point P to
visualize and estimate the instantaneous rate of
change of the function (the derivative) by using
the grid to estimate the slope of the tangent line.
At x = 1, the slope of the tangent line appears to
be 10; at x = 0, 1, and at x = 1, 2.
In Q4 and Q5, relationships between the
increasing behavior of the function and a positive
slope of the tangent line and decreasing behavior
of the function and a negative slope of the tangent
line are visualized. When the derivative is
positive, the function is increasing, and when the
derivative is negative, the function is decreasing.
Q6 introduces the idea that when a function has a
maximum or a minimum the derivative equals 0.
(You may wish to edit the function f to illustrate
that a functions derivative can equal 0 without a
maximum or minimum occurring.) In Q7, the
derivative is greatest at both endpoints of the
interval [1, 3].
Q8 repeats Q4Q7 for a sine function, while asking
students to use what they have seen to visualize
the tangent line at different locations on the
function plot. By examining where the function is
increasing, decreasing, or 0, students can estimate

the value of the derivative.
In Q9Q11, students can explore the connection
between the slope of the tangent line and the
curvature of the function plot. Whenever the
tangent line is under the function plot, the slope
of the line is increasing, and the function plot is
concave up.
Accumulating Area (page 120)

graphs of functions and area formulas.
Students will measure coordinates and move
objects in the plane.
Explore More
Required Sketch: Area2.gsp
The three functions listed have a point or points

where the derivative is undefined. For the
absolute value function, the tangent line can have
only a slope of 1 or 1. Both this function and the
next exhibit an abrupt change in slope at
particular x-values. With the second and third
functions, however, the abrupt change is not of the
same nature. For both these functions, the slope of
the tangent line increases without bound. This can
be seen by zooming in and continuing to observe
the slope.
General Notes: In this activity, students will

informally extend the concept of area using the
notation of integrals with a function consisting of
geometric figures.
Extension
You can plot points on the function plot and create
buttons that will move point P to specific
locations. To do this, use the calculator to calculate
a value of 1. (All you need to do in the calculator is
type in the number 1.) Then calculate f (1) and plot
(1, f (1)) as a point in the plane. Finally, create a
button to move point P to the newly plotted point.
To examine the local behavior of the function near
any particular point, you can use the zoom
controls included in this sketch.
To make this process easier, plot (a, b) as a point in
the coordinate grid. Create a button to move point
P to this point. After pressing the Move button you
have created, point P will be at the exact location
around which the sketch will zoom. Then use the
Zoom tools to examine the behavior of the
function near the point. As you zoom in, the
function plot should become indistinguishable
from the tangent lineexcept in the case of the
functions listed in the Explore More section.
Note for advanced Sketchpad users: You cant edit the
values of a and b to equal other measurements in
the sketch because much of the sketch is
dependent on the values of a and b.

In Q1, students should find that the value of the
integral is close to 6 + . The difference lies in the
exact locations of the points start and finish. You
can create Move buttons to move these points to
the exact locations. If these points are moved in
this fashion, the Calculate Area button will give you
a result of 9.14159. In Q2, the value of
2 f (x) dx
is 6 + 2. In Q3, answers will vary. Using the Area

tools will reveal that the value is the opposite of
the previous answer, namely 6 2. One way to
motivate this property of integrals is to appeal to
the way area was calculated in the previous
activity, The Trapezoid Tool. In Q4, the formula
used to calculate the area introduces a negative
sign when the finish point comes after the
start point.
In Q5 through Q7, the integral consists of two
triangles; they are congruent, so the integral will
equal 0. In Q8, the value of
6 f (x) dx is 7.5.
In Q9, the notion of the area function is

introduced, and the area from 6 to 6 is 0. In Q10,
A(3), which equals
6 f (x) dx , is 7.5, as above.
In Q11 through Q14 the area trace decreases

immediately because the value of the area is
negative. An area of 8 will accumulate first, so
the area plot will not simply become positive at x
= 2, but it will increase because the area between
the function plot and the x-axis becomes positive
at this point. At the places where the area trace
crosses the x-axis, there is an accumulated area of
0the integral from 6 to that point is 0. At the
points where the function f crosses the x-axis, the
area trace has a maximum or a minimum; it is at
these locations that there is a change from adding

positive area to adding negative, or vice versa.
Answers to Q15 may vary. Students may notice
that when the original function is positive, the
area function increases, and when it is negative,
the area function decreases. They may also notice
that when the original function is increasing, the
area function is concave up, and when it is
decreasing, the area function is concave down.
Explore More
In Q1, the area function moves vertically as point
start is moved. In Q2, the area plot will move up
when the original function is positive, and down
when the original function is negative.
Note that the area function does not change in any
other wayif the original function is unchanged,
the same areas are involvedbut the starting point
causes some of them to be counted as negative and
some of them positive. In Q3, in integral notation,
x
f (t ) dt =
f (t ) dt + C , where C is
f (t ) dt .
In Q4, although the function itself may have a

positive value, point I, which plots the area, may
have a positive or negative value, depending on
where the area accumulation began and the
functions values to the left of the current location
of point I.
Extension
Students may be interested in how the Area tools
in the sketch used in this activity compute the area
and whether this area is exact. Here, the area
calculation comes from the value of the
antiderivative of the original function (in this case,
it is a piecewise function).
To create a similar demonstration, you can plot a
function and then (on your own) determine its
antiderivative. Build this function in the
calculator, and label it g(x). Then construct a point
on the x-axis. (This is your point start, as in the
activity.) Measure its x-coordinate, xstart. Calculate
g(xstart). Then create a new function g(x) g(xstart).
(g(xstart) is a constant.) Label this function A(x).
Next, create another point on the x-axis. (This is
your point P, as in the activity.) Find the value of
A(xP). This value gives you the area calculation
that you need; it is 0 when x = xstart and yields the
area for other values of x as you move point P
along the axis. You can then plot the area
calculation as you did in the activity.

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Teaching Mathematics with

Dynamic Geometry Software

Key Curriculum Press

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

Key Curriculum Press

Using Sketchpad in Different Classroom Settings ......................................................................

Using Sketchpad as a Presentation Tool ....................................................................................... 8

Sample Activities ............................................................................................................................... 11

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad iii

The Expanding Circle Construction ............................................................................................

Activity Notes for Sample Activities ................................................................................. 75

iv Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Although it remains a matter of dispute, some architects and

The Geometers Sketchpad and Changes in

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 1

Where Sketchpad Came From

2 Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Using Sketchpad in the Classroom

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 3

A Guided Investigation: Napoleons Theorem

French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fancied himself as something of an

Select the entire

1. Construct an equilateral triangle. You can use a pre-made custom tool

7. Use the custom tool to construct

9. Construct segments connecting the

After students have discussed

4 Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

2002 Key Curriculum Press

An Open-Ended Exploration: Constructing Rhombuses

How many ways can you come up with to

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 5

A Demonstration: A Visual Demonstration of the Pythagorean Theorem

Visual Demonstration of the

In this activity, youll do a visual demonstration of the Pythagorean

Sketch and Investigate

2. Measure the areas of the squares.

4. Drag point B onto the line. It should

To confirm that this

To confirm that this

6 Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad

How do these congruent shapes demonstrate the Pythagorean

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Using Sketchpad in Different Classroom Settings

A Classroom with One Computer

One Computer and a Projection Device

A Classroom with a Handful of Computers

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 7

Using Sketchpad as a Presentation Tool

The Circle Squared

CC' = 0.760 in.

Area ABA'B' = 1.815 in2

Text and action buttons make possible

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Using Sketchpad as a Productivity Tool

Solve for x and y:

2002 Key Curriculum Press

Teaching Mathematics with The Geometers Sketchpad 9