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ConstructingTriangles:UseSketchpad'sTools
Atrianglewithtwocongruentsidesiscalledisoscelesandonewiththree
congruentsidesiscalledequilateral.Inthistutorial,youlluseSketchpadstools
toconstructatriangle,anisoscelestriangle,andanequilateraltriangle.
SketchpadSkills|IntroductoryMovie
ConstructaTriangle
YoucanconstructatrianglewithSketchpadbysimplydrawing
threeconnectedsegments.Unlikeatrianglethatyoudrawon
paper,aSketchpadtriangleisdynamicitcanmoveandcan
becomeanytriangleatall,justbydraggingitsverticestochange
itssizeandshape.
1. OpenSketchpad,orclickontheSketchpadwindowtomakeitactive.ChooseFile|NewSketch
toopenablanksketch.
2. ChoosetheSegmenttool.Constructasegmentusingeitheroneoftwomethods:
Pressandhold,drag,andrelease.
Click,move,andclickagain.
3. Constructanothersegmentattachedtooneendpointofthefirst
segment.Makesurethepointishighlightedwhenyouclick.
4. Ifyoumakeamistakenoworatanyothertimechoose
Edit|Undo(andifyouwanttoredowhatyouundid,
chooseEdit|Redo).
5. Constructathirdsegmentthatconnectsthetwofreeendpoints(checkforhighlightedpoints)to
completeyourtriangle.
6. ChoosethePolygontool.Clickthetrianglesvertices(points)inorder.Endbyclickingonthe
pointyoufirstclicked.
7. ChoosetheArrowtool.Clickinemptyspacetodeselectallobjects.
8. Dragthedifferentpartsofyourtriangletoseehowitbehaves.Yourtriangleshouldstaya
triangle.Ifnot,useEdit|Undoandtryagain.
ConstructanIsoscelesTriangle
Nowyoullconstructatrianglewithtwocongruentsides.Acircleholdsthekeytobuildinga
trianglethatstaysisoscelesnomatterhowyoudragit.
9. ChoosetheCompasstool.Inablankareaofyoursketch,constructacircleusingeitheroneof
twomethods:
Pressandhold,drag,andrelease.
Click,move,andclickagain.
Thecirclehastwopointsitscenterandaradiuspoint.
10. ChoosetheArrowtool.Drageachpointtoseehowitaffectsthecircle.
11. ChoosetheSegmenttool.Constructasegmentfromthecenter
totheradiuspoint(checkforhighlightedpoints).Thisisaradius
ofthecircle.
12. Constructasecondradiusfromthecentertothecircle.Make
surethecircleishighlightedwhenyouconstructthesecond
point.
13. Constructasegmentbetweenthepointsonthecircle.
14. ChoosethePolygontoolandconstructthetriangleinterior.
HideanObject
WhenyouconstructshapeswithSketchpad,youwilloftenneedtoconstructobjectsthatyoudont
wanttoseeinyourfinishedproduct.Foryourisoscelestriangle,howcanyoumakethecirclego
away?
15. ChoosetheArrowtool.SelectthecircleandchooseEdit|Cut(orpressDelete).
Whydoesyourtrianglealsogoaway?Thesecondsegmentyouconstructedwasdefinedbythe
circle.Withoutthecircle,thereisnosegment.Andwithoutthesegment,thereisnotriangle.
16. ChooseEdit|Undotorestorethecircle(andtriangle).
17. Instead,selectthecircleandchoosechooseDisplay|HideCircle.Thistime,thecircleshould
disappear,butthetriangleshouldremain.
18. Dragthedifferentpartsofyourisoscelestriangletomakesureyourconstructionstaystogether.If
not,useEdit|Undoandtryagain.
19. Whyisyourtriangleisosceles?
FormatYourTriangles
Youcanchangethecolorandappearanceoftheobjectsthatmakeupyourtrianglespoints,
segments,andpolygonsandlabelthem.
ToselectobjectswithSketchpad,usetheArrowtool.Whenyouclickanobject,thehighlighting
indicatesthattheobjectisselected.Todeselectanobject,clickitagain,orclickinemptyspaceto
deselecteverything.
20. Tochangeapointssize,selectitandchooseDisplay|PointStyle.
21. Tochangeasegmentsthickness,selectitandchooseDisplay|LineStyle.
22. Tochangethecolorofanyobjectpoint,segment,orpolygonselectitandchooseDisplay|
Color.
23. ChoosetheTexttool.Clickthepointstolabelthem.Clickthemagaintohide
thelabels,ordoubleclickthemtochangethelabels.
24. ChoosetheMarkertool.Clickononeofthetwocongruentsidesofthe
isoscelestriangletoaddatickmark.Thenaddatickmarktotheother
congruentside.Repeatedclickingchangesthenumberofstrokes.
ConstructanEquilateralTriangle
Constructinganequilateraltriangleissimilartoconstructinganisoscelestriangle,butnowyoull
usetwocirclesinsteadofone.
25. ChoosetheArrowtool.Dragthefirsttwotrianglesyoumadetomakeroominyoursketch.
26. ChoosetheCompasstoolandconstructacircle.
27. Constructasecondcirclethatinterlockswiththefirststartyournewcircleattheradiuspointof
thefirstcircleandenditatthecenterofthefirstcircle.Whendone,thereshouldonlybetwo
circlesandtwopoints.
28. ChoosetheArrowtool.Drageachpoint.Bothcirclesshouldalwaysstayexactlythesamesize.If
not,chooseEdit|Undoandtryagain.
29. ChoosethePointtool.Clickononeoftheintersectionsformedbytheinterlockingcircles(make
surebothcirclesarehighlighted)toconstructthethirdvertexofyourtriangle.
30. ChoosetheSegmenttoolandconstructsegments
betweenthethreevertices.
31. ChoosethePolygontoolandconstructthetriangle
interior.
32. ChoosetheArrowtool.Drageachpointofyourtriangle
tomakesureyourconstructionholdstogetherandstays
equilateral.Ifnot,chooseEdit|Undoandtryagain.
33. Hidethecirclesandformatyourtriangle.UsetheText
andMarkertoolstoaddlabelsandtickmarks.
34. Whyisyourtriangleequilateral?
ExploreMore
35. Dragthedifferentpartsofyourthreetrianglestoseehowtheybehave.Canyoumakethemall
lookasiftheyareequilateral?Canyoumakethemalllookasiftheyarerighttriangles?Whyor
whynot?
36. ChooseFile|NewSketch.Withthesametoolsyouusedtoconstructyourisoscelesand
equilateraltriangles,constructarhombusoraregularhexagon.
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