Side-Side-Angle Discovery using GeoGebra

Objectives

- Students will recognize why Side Side - Angle is not a valid theorem for triangle
congruency
- Students will be able to use Hypotenuse leg theorem for triangle congruency

Common Core Standard

- two possible solutions in the ambiguous case, illustrating that Side-Side-Angle is

not a congruence criterion.
-
Accommodations
- The accommodations listed in students I.E.Ps and 504s will be meet.
- Students could receive guided notes, extra homework time, a shorter homework
assignment to name a few accommodations.
- notes and examples will also be saved using the smartboard and available to all
students.

Pre- Requisite Knowledge

- knowledge of what triangle congruency is

- The Valid theorems of triangle congruency

- What a right triangle is

o Being able to identify the hypotenuse of a right triangle
o Being able to identify the legs of a right triangle.
 Side Side Angle Exploration instructions

Use GeoGebra to create the following triangles by yourself

create a triangle by following these steps as we have done before

1. Make base using segment with given length tool

2. Create 2rd size using the segment of given length tool
3. Make angle using angle with given size tool
a. Create a ray of that angle
4. Adjust the position of the second side until the ray crosses the endpoint of the
base segment to create a triable

https://www.geogebra.org/o/ewN5uTBM - steps

1. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 6
- AC length is 5
- Angle ACB is 50 degrees

2. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 4
- AC length is 5
- Angle ACB is 80 degrees

3. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 5
- AC length is 4
- Angle ACB is 90 degrees

4. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 5
- AC length is 6
- Angle ACB is 50 degrees

5. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 5
- AC length is 6
- Angle ACB is 75 degrees

6. Create triangle ABC

- AB length is 4
- AC length is 3
- Angle ACB is 90 degrees
 7. Create triangle ABC
- AB length is 6
- AC length is 4
- Angle ACB is 90 degrees

After all triangle have been made compare results with a partner, then answer the
following questions

Did you and your partner make the same triangles for each problem?

If any were different which ones were those?

Do you think we can use SSA for triangle congruency?

Is there anything you noticed about the ones that only created one triangle?

What things did they have in common?

Based on what triangle always worked, write a theorem for triangle congruency that
includes two sides and one angle.
 Teachers notes

Introduce

The past few weeks we have been learning different theorems that can be used to tell if
two triangles are congruent. Today we will decide if Side, Side, Angle can be used to
test for triangle congruency.

Plan

- Student will have about 10-15 minutes to create the triangle on their own.
- Once the students have all created the triangles, then they will work with their
partners to answer the question on the worksheet.
- The class discussion will be the teacher asking for student to explain what they
put for the answers to the questions. The students will need to be able to explain
why they put what they did.
- Student will be able to build from each other and comment on what they thought
of each others solutions.
- The teacher should keep the discussion going in the direction of convincing
students that SSA doesnt work, but that hypotenuse leg for right triangle
congruency works.
-
The reason I had the students use GeoGebra is because it is a program that allows
them to easily make the desired triangle and it is easier to have students compares
results with each other.

Questions used

During this discussion I would ask the following additional questions

- Why do you think everyone made the same triangles for the ones with 90
degrees as the angle?

- Do you think the order of the sides matter for the right triangle for them to be
congruent?

- Thinking about the Pythagorean Theorem and right triangle try to come up with a
theorem for right triangle congruency.

( make sure the students come up with the hypotenuse leg theorem they should
be close based on the guided questions, at the end of the class share the formal
definition with them)

Rational these question were designed to keep a discussion moving toward the
discovery of hypotenuse leg without giving to much away.
Expected correct answers?
Did you and your partner make the same triangles for each problem? will depend on
partners, but for some directions 2 triangle can be made

If any were different which ones were those? 2,4,5 will have two different triangles.
The triangle will vary by the length of side BC

Do you think we can use SSA for triangle congruency? - we cannot because it will not
always work, for a theorem to be valid it needs to always work

Is there anything you noticed about the ones that only created one triangle? If AB was
longer than AC or if the triangle created was a right triangle and the sides given went in
the order of hypotenuse and then one of the legs

What things did they have in common?

The hypotenuse will always be longer than a leg, so its a case where AB will always be
longer than AC.

Based on what triangle always worked, write a theorem for triangle congruency that
includes two sides and one angle.

- The hypotenuse leg theorem states that any two right triangles that have a
congruent hypotenuse and a corresponding, congruent leg are congruent
triangles.

Possible issue and answer

- Making the triangle with the sides in the wrong order, or putting the angle in the
wrong spot.
- Make sure you students are following the instruction properly.
- Doing the first triangle as a class so everyone can see how to do it.
- Student will have about 10-15 minutes to create the triangle on their own.
- Once the students have all created the triangles, then they will work with their
partners to answer the question on the worksheet.
- The class discussion will be the teacher asking for student to explain what they
put for the answers to the questions. The students will need to be able to explain
why they put what they did.
- The teacher should keep the discussion going in the direction of convincing
students that SSA doesnt work, but that hypotenuse leg for right triangle
congruency works.
Rational

- The purpose of this lesson and the question I chose to ask, is that it will lead
students to discover the hypotenuse leg theorem without just giving them the
answers. It is important to walk around to make sure student are creating the
triangle correctly so they come to the right solution.
From Mathwarehouse.com