Wheel of Pythagoras
by: Sydney Weinberger
Who
Pythagoras was an ancient philosopher who was well known as "the father of numbers." Alongside his Pythagorean theorem, he also developed a theory that concluded to be that every single thing is related to numbers, and that everything can be predicted and measured in rhythmic cycles. He was and still is a very important man that developed the Pythagorean Theorem, and it is still being used today.
What
Since the fourth century AD, Pythagoras has been regularly given credit for discovering the Pythagorean Theorem. This is a theorem in geometry that concludes that a right-angled triangle, the area of the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the other two sides.
When and Where
Since about the sixth century AD through the time he died, Pythagoras was well known for developing the Pythagorean Theorem and coming up with new ideas as to how it would work and how it would be important and used in peoples everyday lives. Pythagoras originated in Greece, and this is the place where he developed the Pythagorean Theorem.
Real Life Uses of the Pythagorean Theorem
You may think to yourself multiple times, "how will all of these long equations in math help me in real life?" or "how will I use the Pythagorean Theorem in real life?" As a matter of fact, the Pythagorean Theorem has many uses in real life, and it is especially used in any type of construction. For example, this theorem is used in construction when a triangle roof is being built, etc. Next, this theorem is used with painters because if they are painting the exterior of a house while on a ladder, and he has to paint 8 meters above the ground, he needs to place the ladder 6 meters away from the house so that he does not fall backwards. Another example is when you are buying a TV, you need to know how big of a space you will need in order to fit the TV. Measuring the two sides of the TV will allow you to figure out the size of the space you will need. One more example of how to use the Pythagorean Theorem in real life is with landscaping. This theorem is helpful because you need to know the total area of where you will be landscaping different items. The last real life example is when two friends are going to meet at Kwik Trip. The Pythagorean Theorem comes into play in this situation because let's say that Bethany is 8 miles from Kwik Trip and Billy is 6 miles away from Kwik Trip. In order for us to figure out how far away they are from each other, we have to use the equation c=a (squared) + b(squared) to find the distance between the two.
The Making of the Wheel of Pythagoras
There were multiple directed steps on how to create the pencil drawing of the Wheel of Pythagoras. The first direction that was given was to collect all the materials that were needed. The next step was to measure 27.5 cm from the left side of the poster and 20.5 cm from the the top of the paper and then make a mark. Lastly, I needed to create two line segments that created a 90 degree angle and a backwards L shape. Using the hypotenuse of the first triangle that was created, you had to create another right triangle on top of the previous hypotenuse. Continuing to repeat the process of using the previous triangle hypotenuse and using that to create the base of the next triangle.
Finished Pencil Drawing
Materials for Designing
Beginning of Designing
Descriptions and Understandings
The description of a right triangle is a geometric shape, in this case a triangle, that has a right angle in it. The equivalency of a right angle is 90 degrees. My understanding of the area of the square off the short leg is that square a is more than likely smaller because it is the shortest leg, therefore, it will be a smaller number. My understanding of the area of the square off the long leg is the number of square b will be larger, but will never be a larger number than square c, or the hypotenuse. My understanding of the area of the square off the hypotenuse is that this is the sum of a squared + b squared. This will be the largest number. The definition of a square root is a number that has been multiplied by itself and the majority of the time will create a larger number(with the exception of 0 and 1). A few examples of square roots is 7x7=49, 6x6=36, 4x4=24, 10x10=100, and so on.