Pythagoras' Secret Brotherhood

Partner Up
1.  First, you will be assigned a partner.  You and your partner will follow the steps below to prepare you for your presentation to the great Pythagoras.



Who is Pythagoras?
2.  Before you begin your investigation of the Pythagorean Theorm, you need to get some background knowledge of Pythagoras himself.  Visit at least three of the sites below to get a good picture of who Pythagoras was and to read about some of his other accomplishments—and to discover some of the things that made him eccentric too!

~The Teacher Who Paid His Student
~Pythagoras:  The Master Teacher
~Who’s Who—Pythagoras
~History for Kids—Pythagoras Biography & Proofs
~The Father of Numbers
~Pythagoras on Wikipedia



Summarize
3.  As you are reading about Pythagoras use the graphic organizer attached to the bottom of this page to help organize a short summary on the life of Pythagoras.  Your summary should include where he was from, some of his mathematical and other accomplishments, and any other information you feel is important.  Your summary should be 2-3 paragraphs in length. 



The Pythagorean Theorem
4.  Now you are ready to investigate Pythagoras’ favorite accomplishment—the one named after him!  Use the links below to learn about the Pythagorean Theorem.  Use the second attached document to record your notes.

~Brain Pop Watch the video and take the quiz (see me to log in)
~Pythagorean Theorem lesson
~The Pythagorean Puzzle
~Summing the Squares
~Pythagoras’s Theorem Interactive

*Still need help understanding the Pythagorean Theorem?  Watch video of a lesson on the theorem to help.  Watch the next lesson if you are still confused.



Applications
5.  Now it is time to apply the theorem.  Use the sites below to practice applying the theorem.  Use the third attached document to record your computations.

~Applications
~Baseball
~Locked Out



Proofs
6.  Now that you know what the theorem is and how to use it.  Let’s look at why it works.  You will view a variety of different proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem and you will choose two to present to Pythagoras.

~Proof 1
~Proof 2
~Proof 3
~Proof 4—revisit Summing the Squares in step 4 for help with this proof
~Proof 5



Presentation
7.  Remember, when presenting your proof to Pythagoras, you want to impress him with your knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem and with your use of technology.  One of your proofs must incorporate the graphing calculator and Cabri Jr. or the computer with Geometer’s Sketchpad.  Use the links for help if needed.  Remember if you need help with Geometer's Sketchpad you can use the help tab on the Sketchpad tool bar.