Activity Overview
In this activity, students will use the Cabri™ Jr. application to explore circles in a plane. They will investigate the relationship between the equation of a circle, the length of its radius, and the coordinates of its center.
Before the Activity
Install the Cabri Jr. App on the students' graphing calculators using TI Connect™, a TI Connectivity cable and the unit-to-unit link cables
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 65 - 71 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to your class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Show the coordinate axes and create a circle
Measure the radius of the circle, display the equation of the circle,
and the coordinates of the center
Drag the circle, the center, and the radius point and observe the changes
Construct a point on the circle, and measure its distance to the center
Construct a point not on the circle, and measure its distance to the center
Examine the relationship between the coordinates of the center, the length of the radius, and the equation of the circle
After the Activity
Students will fill in the Data Collection and Analysis sheet.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary