Math 3

Chord Theorems
Mathematics Learning Goals:
Students will be able to justify why intersecting chords produce proportional segments.
Students will be able to justify why two chords equidistant from the center are congruent, their minor arcs are
congruent, and their central angles are congruent (and the converse).

Essential Question:
What are special relationships exist given two chords in a circle?

NC Math Standards:
NC.M3.G – C.2: Understand and apply theorems about circles.
Theorems as stated in the NC Instructional Framework:
a. when two chords intersect at a point interior to a circle, the chords are divided proportionally.
b. if two chords are equivalent then their minor arcs are congruent and conversely
c. if two chords are equidistant from the center then they are congruent and conversely

Common Core State Mathematical Practice Standards:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

Materials:
Students will need access to a laptop or tablet.
Students will be given an investigation worksheet that corresponds with the GeoGebra Book.
TEACHER COPY:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rp0HwGPtqPS6UplCTbE2S5WLRYuykI7Sl5LPdmY4JiQ/edit?usp=sharin
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STUDENTS COPY:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13866Z_ZUecQU3cCge6IiJJVYWYNlvAVCNmgpbYtADFM/edit

Geogebra Book: https://ggbm.at/v3Mr22Ad

Differentiation:
Students are working in pairs and using dynamic technologies which allows them to communicate about the
mathematics using a common tool to support their learning and communication with each other. The task is
open ended, allowing a way for every student to get started and engage with the mathematics. There is scaffolds
within the investigation to support students as they work toward conjecturing the theorems.

Notes to the reader: This set of investigations is intended to be used after students have had experience with
major and minor arcs. The end goal is to formalize three chord theorems so that they can be used to solve
problems involving chords.

Time: Assume 75 minutes

Time Lesson Phase Teacher Actions Student Actions
10-20 Warm-Up Teacher will provide a warm up for Students participate in the warm up their
minutes students as she usually would. teacher has provided.
5 minutes Prepare for Pass out worksheet for activity, have Students will get chromebooks (one per
Activity students get chromebooks, provide pair of students) and the given GeoGebra
them with the link to the GeoGebra link.
book used in this investigation. Set
expectations for behavior during the
activity. Students will work in pairs
for this activity. Each student must
write down individual answers to the
questions on the worksheet. Each
student must hand in their own
completed worksheet.

To introduce the activity explain that

today we will be investigating various
relationships that exist when given two
chords in a circle. You will work with
a partner to explore the dynamic
sketches in the GeoGebra Book:
Investigating Chords. When working
on this activity, carefully drag points,
check measures, and ask yourself
“what if” questions as you work
through the investigations on the
worksheet. Carefully answer the
questions in each investigation.. Feel
free to include sketches to support
your ideas.

10 Investigation Provide guiding questions for students Students will be using the first page of
minutes 1 that are struggling (What do you see? the GeoGebra book to complete
Are there shapes you can see formed Investigation 1, they will answer all the
from the lines in the circle? What questions for Investigation 1 on the
lines/angles are the same?), walk worksheet, they will provide valid
around the classroom and be active justification for their answers
with the students, assessing their
understanding as you walk around, if
students are not providing valid
justification for their answers help
them understand why it is not valid
and guide them towards a valid
argument.

Note: There are assessing and

advancing questions for each
investigation provided below.
10 Class Once all your students have completed Two students/groups will share their
minutes Discussion Investigation 1, stop the class and
discuss their answers. Choose two
students/groups to share their
explanations, try to choose two that
you know are different, if one is
incorrect have the class explain why it
is incorrect. If students use incorrect
language/terminology be sure to
correct it.
explanations, using the proper language.
Students will NOT continue working,
they will be listening and participating in
the class discussion. If students have
incorrect work, they are required to
record the correct answers.

The point of this discussion is to share

student conjectures and reasoning,
leading to a shared statement of the
intersecting chords theorem.

Intersecting chords theorem: When

two chords intersect at a point interior
to a circle, the chords are divided
proportionally. OR EQUIVALENT
STATEMENT When two chords
intersect each other in a circle, the
products of their segments are equal.
10 Investigation Provide guiding questions for students Students will be using the second page of
minutes 2 that are struggling (What do you see? the GeoGebra book to complete
Are there shapes you can see formed Investigation 2, they will answer all the
from the lines in the circle? What questions for Investigation 2 on the
lines/angles are the same?), walk worksheet, they will provide valid
around the classroom and be active justification for their answers.
with the students, assessing their
understanding as you walk around, if
students are not providing valid
justification for their answers help
them understand why it is not valid
and guide them towards a valid
argument.

Note: There are assessing and

advancing questions for each
investigation provided below.
10 Class Once all your students have completed
minutes Discussion Investigation 2, stop the class and
discuss their answers. Choose two
students/groups to share their
explanations, try to choose two that
you know are different, if one is
incorrect have the class explain why it
is incorrect.
Two students/groups will share their
explanations, using the proper language.
Students will NOT continue working,
they will be listening and participating in
the class discussion. If students have
incorrect work, they are required to
record the correct answers.

The point of this discussion is to share

student conjectures and reasoning,
 leading to a shared statement of
Equivalent chord theorem.

Equivalent chord theorem: Chords of

the same length in the same circle cut
congruent minor arcs and conversely.

10 Investigation Provide guiding questions for students Students will be using the second page of
minutes 3 that are struggling (What do you see? the GeoGebra book to complete
Are there shapes you can see formed Investigation 3, they will answer all the
from the lines in the circle? What questions for Investigation 3 on the
lines/angles are the same?), walk worksheet, they will provide valid
around the classroom and be active justification for their answers.
with the students, assessing their
understanding as you walk around, if
students are not providing valid
justification for their answers help
them understand why it is not valid
and guide them towards a valid
argument.
10 Class Once all your students have completed Two students/groups will share their
minutes Discussion Investigation 3, stop the class and explanations, using the proper language.
discuss their answers. Choose two Students will NOT continue working,
students/groups to share their they will be listening and participating in
explanations, try to choose two that the class discussion. If students have
you know are different, if one is incorrect work, they are required to
incorrect have the class explain why it record the correct answers.
is incorrect. If students use incorrect
language/terminology be sure to
correct it.

The point of this discussion is to share

student conjectures and reasoning,
leading to a shared statement of
equidistant chord theorem.

Equidistant chord theorem: If two

chords are equidistant from the center
then they are congruent and
conversely.

N/A For students that finish early there is a

4th investigation related to a special
case of intersecting chords.

Anticipated Student Solutions/Strategies Grid

Investigation #1
Anticipated Solutions/Strategies
Students notice that triangles BDF
and ECF are similar and are able to
justify this relationship and use it
to determine that proportions of
intersecting chords are congruent.
Students state some correct
geometric observations but do not
notice the triangles are similar
and/or have difficulty justifying
the similarity.
Students students state some
correct geometric observations,
but none are important to this
investigation (i.e., they are
attending to superficial
characteristics).
Investigation #2
Anticipated Solutions/Strategies
Students notice that triangles ABC
and AEG are congruent by side-
angle-side or reflection over the
diameter, and use this to justify
that since the triangles are
congruent, the central angles and
the minor arcs are congruent.
Students notice the relationship
between triangles ABC and AEG
and that equivalent chords minor
arcs are congruent, but they
cannot justify why the arcs are
congruent.
Students notice the geometric
figures and observations from
dragging points, but they cannot
move on from there.
Investigation #3
Anticipated Solutions/Strategies
Instructional Support
Assessing Questions Advancing Questions
How do you know the triangles What is another way to justify
are similar? why the central angles are
congruent? What other
observations can you make
about the intersecting chords?
What did you notice about the What figures are formed by the
angles formed by the chords? chords? Do they share
Why are the angles congruent? common features? What
makes two triangles similar?
What is true about similar
triangles?
What do you remember about What figures are formed by the
angles that subtend the same chords? Do they share
arc? common features? What
makes two triangles similar?
What is true about similar
triangles?
Instructional Support
Assessing Questions Advancing Questions
How do you know the triangles Is there another justification
are congruent? for the congruent triangles?
What property of congruent How would you write a
chords did you discover? theorem for the properties you
Explain why that makes sense. discovered?
What was your justification for What part of the triangle is
the congruent triangles? related to the minor arc?
How did you arrive at your
conjectures about chords that
are equivalent?
What did you notice when What measurements don’t
moving points B and C? change as you move points B
and C?
Instructional Support
 Assessing Questions Advancing Questions
Students notice the chords, central What is true about the minor What else can you notice
angles and triangles that are arcs of two congruent chords, about the chords when moving
composed of the four radii will how do you know? points B and C?
always be congruent when the What is true about two chords
minor arcs are congruent and they that are equidistant from the Can you justify this relationship
can justify this. Also, students can center, and why? using another argument?
explain what is true about two
chords that are equidistant.
Students notice the chords, central What is always true about two What is true about the
angles and triangles that are chords equidistant from the measurements of the chords
composed of the four radii will center? while they are equidistant
always be congruent when the from the center? How would
minor arcs are congruent and they you form your argument for
can justify this. But, students question 4?
cannot explain what is true about
two chords that are equidistant.
Students cannot answer or justify What did you notice when What did we notice about the
what is true about two chords that moving points B and C? relationship between the two
have minor arcs that are triangles from investigation 2?
congruent. Also, students cannot
answer what is true about two
equidistant chords.