I/D #2: Unit O - How can we derive the patterns for our special rights triangle?

HEADING FOR THIS SECTION: INQUIRY ACTIVITY SUMMARY Please click here to watch video


HEADING FOR THIS SECTION: INQUIRY ACTIVITY REFLECTION

Something I never noticed before about special right triangles is how they all connect one way or another. I knew that triangles all add up to 180 degrees, but I had forgotten that if you divide the triangle by half, you get a right triangle and then a 30-60-90. Of course, the 45-45-90 also derives from another shape, but this time it is the square. I never noticed that the triangle is simply a ratio that will always remain the same even as the triangles expand.

Being able to derive these patterns myself aids in my learning because I can always rewrite the pattern in case I happen to forget. It would only really take me knowing the Pythagorean theorem, which I hope to never forget. Finding out the pattern is actually really simple and now I have the ability to easily figure it out simply by finding the angles measurements of a triangle and not by memorizing the sides, but by actually understanding the factors of triangles.