Activity Overview
This activity is designed to help students discover several important theorems concerning lengths of segments formed by intersecting chords, secants, and tangents.
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 Cable
Use the TI-Navigator™ to transfer the attached Cabri Jr. AppVar files to each calculator
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 189 - 192 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to your class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Use the AppVar to go directly to the exploration section
Construct a circle with two intersecting chords
Use the Calculate tool to investigate the relationship between the four segments determined by intersecting chords
Construct a circle with two secants that intersect outside the circle
Construct a circle with a tangent and a secant that intersect outside the circle
Use the Calculate tool to investigate the relationship between the secant segments and their external segments
After the Activity
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary