In this lesson, students apply their work with perpendicular slopes to categorize triangles and quadrilaterals. They use slope and distance arguments to describe the type of quadrilateral that a set of coordinates determine. Using slope, students determine whether or not adjacent sides are right angles and opposite sides are parallel. They also apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine if a figure is equilateral, and then use these calculations to more precisely describe the quadrilateral. Students use similar reasoning to categorize a set of triangles and to craft arguments to describe whether a triangle is a right triangle or not (MP3).
Describe a figure in the coordinate plane precisely, using slopes and distances to categorize the figure, including right triangles, rectangles, squares, and parallelograms.
Use coordinates to calculate the perimeter and area of a figure.
Let's categorize some quadrilaterals and triangles.
Use coordinates to prove simple geometric theorems algebraically. For example, prove or disprove that a figure defined by four given points in the coordinate plane is a rectangle; prove or disprove that the point lies on the circle centered at the origin and containing the point .
Prove the slope criteria for parallel and perpendicular lines and use them to solve geometric problems (e.g., find the equation of a line parallel or perpendicular to a given line that passes through a given point).
Use coordinates to prove simple geometric theorems algebraically. For example, prove or disprove that a figure defined by four given points in the coordinate plane is a rectangle; prove or disprove that the point lies on the circle centered at the origin and containing the point .