The Shape tools let you explore circles, polygons, conics, and other geometric objects.
As you create a shape, a tool appears in the work area (for example, Circle
). To cancel the shape, press ESC.
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Circle. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Circle.) |
| 2. | Click a location or point to position the circle’s center point. |
| 3. | Click a location or point to establish the radius and complete the circle. |
| 4. | To resize a circle, drag its perimeter. To move it, drag its center point. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Triangle. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Triangle.) |
| 2. | Click three locations to establish the vertices of the triangle. |
| 3. | To manipulate a triangle, drag any point. To move it, drag any side. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Rectangle. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Rectangle.) |
| 2. | Click a location or point to establish the first corner of the rectangle. |
| 3. | Click a location for the second corner. |
One side of the rectangle is displayed.
| 4. | Click to establish the distance to the opposite side and complete the rectangle. |
| 5. | To rotate a rectangle, drag one of its first two points. To extend it, drag one of the last two points. To move it, drag any side. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Polygon. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Polygon.) |
| 2. | Click a location or point to establish the first vertex of the polygon. |
| 3. | Click to establish each additional vertex. |
| 4. | To complete the polygon, click the first vertex. |
| 5. | To manipulate a polygon, drag any vertex. To move it, drag any side. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Regular Polygon. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Regular Polygon.) |
| 2. | Click once on the work area to establish the center point. |
| 3. | Click a second location to establish the first vertex and radius. |
A 16-sided regular polygon is formed. The number of sides is displayed in brackets; for example, {16}.
| 4. | Drag any vertex in a circular motion to set the number of sides. |
| - | Drag clockwise to reduce the number of sides. |
| - | Drag counterclockwise to add diagonals. |
| 5. | To resize or rotate a regular polygon, drag any of its points. To move it, drag any side. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Ellipse. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Ellipse.) |
| 2. | Click two locations or points to establish the foci. |
| 3. | Click to establish a point on the ellipse and complete the shape. |
| 4. | To manipulate an ellipse, drag any of its three defining points. To move it, drag its perimeter. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Parabola. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Parabola.) |
| 2. | Click a location to establish the focus. |
| 3. | Click a location to establish the vertex and complete the parabola. |
| 4. | To manipulate a parabola, drag its focus or its vertex. To move it, drag it from any other point. |
| 1. | Create a line to serve as the directrix. |
| 2. | From the Shapes menu, select Parabola. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Parabola.) |
| 3. | Click a location to establish the focus. |
| 4. | Click the line to establish it as the directrix. |
| 5. | To manipulate a parabola, rotate or move its directrix or drag its focus. To move it, select both the directrix and the focus, and then drag either object. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Hyperbola. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Hyperbola.) |
| 2. | Click two locations to establish the foci. |
| 3. | Click a third location to complete the hyperbola. |
| 4. | To manipulate a hyperbola, drag any of its three defining points. To move it, drag it from any other place on the shape. |
| 1. | From the Shapes menu, select Conic by Five Points. (In the Graphs application, click Geometry > Shapes > Conic by Five Points.) |
| 2. | Click five locations to establish the five points on the shape. |
Depending on the pattern of the points, the conic can be a hyperbola or an ellipse.
| 3. | To manipulate a conic, drag any of its five defining points. To move it, drag it from any other place on the shape. |
Creating a Circle