Activity Description Calculate the length of one side of an automatically generated right triangle by using the Pythagorean Theorem, and then check your answers. Pythagorean Explorer is one of the Interactivate assessment explorers.

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Pythagorean Explorer

Place in mathematics curriculum:

• practice the Pythagorean theorem
• practice identifying the hypotenuse
• practice the order of operations
• practice solving one step equations

This applet allows the user to test their abilities using the Pythagorean Theorem. This activity would work well in same ability groups of one or two for about twenty-five minutes if you use the exploration questions and fifteen minutes otherwise.

Preparations for this activity:

This activity can be used to:

• explain, in detail and with examples, which side of the triangle is the hypotenuse
• explain how to solve the Pythagorean theorem for any unknown side length
• explain inverse operations that may be used in solving the Pythagorean theorem.