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The Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem

Activity Overview

Students will:

  • Construct a scalene triangle and squares from each side and measure their areas.
  • Show that the sum of the areas of the two smaller squares will only equal the area of the largest square when the triangle is right angled.
  • Try to alter the properties of their construction by moving the vertices.

    • Before the Activity

    Provide each student with a copy of the attached .pdf document.

    During the Activity

    This activity will help students visualize the property of right triangles by testing the relationship between the area of the largest square and the sum of the areas of the two smaller squares under different conditions.

    After the Activity

  • Review student answers
  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary

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