Activity Overview
Students create geometric figures, and use analytic and coordinate geometry to investigate their attributes. They go through the process of proving that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram.
Before the Activity
Install the Inequality Graphing Application on the calculator using one of these two methods:
- TI Connect™, a TI Connectivity Cable, and the Unit-to-Unit Link Cable
- TI-Navigator™ "send to class" feature
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 37-41 from the attached PDF file for your class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to your class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Position the quadrilateral in the Cartesian coordinate plane
Graph the system of inequalities that determines the quadrilateral and its feasible region
Shade the feasible region of the system of inequalities
Trace the graph and determine the coordinates of the other three vertices
Devise a strategy for determining whether the quadrilateral is a parallelogram (slopes of opposite sides are equal)
Provide mathematical evidence to support the conclusion
Determine the perimeter and area of the parallelogram
After the Activity
Students will complete the Student Worksheet and answer questions listed in it.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary