LearningCenter>UsingSketchpad>GettingStartedTutorials>ConstructingTriangles

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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