1. On the Pythagorean tab, click on Show labels.

a. Which angle in the triangle in the Gizmotm is the right angle? Which side of this triangle is the hypotenuse?
Which sides are the legs? Give two names for each side, a segment name and also one lowercase letter.
Which vertex is side a opposite?
b. Drag A, B, and C, the vertices of this right triangle, to make other right triangles. Which angle is the
hypotenuse always opposite?
2. Click on Show values. Drag A, B, and C to form any right triangle you like.
a. Using a calculator, square the lengths of the legs. What is a2? (Remember, a is the length of the side that is
opposite angle A.) What is b2? What is a2 + b2?
b. Next, square the length of the hypotenuse. What is c2? How does c2 compare with a2 + b2? Check your work
by clicking on Show squared side lengths.
c. Drag the vertices to see more right triangles. Is it always true that a2 + b2 = c2? This is the Pythagorean
Theorem.
d. Select Show labels and Show squares. You should see large squares attached to each side of the right
triangle. What is the area of each of these squares? What does the Pythagorean Theorem tell you about the
areas of the squares?
e. If the right triangle had side lengths 3, 4, and 5, what would be the areas of the three squares? How do the
areas of the two smaller squares compare to the area of the biggest square? How does this relate to a2 + b2
= c2?
3. Turn off Show squares. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve these problems on paper.
a. If a = 16 and b = 12, find c. (Hint: If you know the value of c2, how do you find c?)
b. In a right triangle, if the lengths of the legs are 12 and 14, find the length of the hypotenuse. Round your
answer to the nearest tenth.
c. Suppose c = 26 and a = 10. What is the value of b? (Hint: If you know c2 and a2, how do you find b2?)