Education Technology


Right Triangle with Constant Legs vs Perimeter

Activity Overview

Constructing a Right Triangle with the constraints that sum of the legs are kept constant, so when the legs change length but the sum of the two legs remain constant, the perimeter will change. What will the minimum value for the perimeter be? What kind of relationships exists between the legs? In this activity, you will explore these questions, examining patterns using tables, graphs, and equations.

Before the Activity

  1. This activity is designed to be used in a middle school or high school geometry/algebra classroom.
  2. Review the Right Triangle properties. This may be a good introduction to the Pythagoras theorem.
  3. Review perimeter and area of triangles.