Sign In
| 12 Theory slides |
| 15 Exercises - Grade E - A |
| Each lesson is meant to take 1-2 classroom sessions |
Here are a few recommended readings before getting started.
Try your knowledge on these topics.
The figure below looks like a parallelogram.
In certain situations, it is required to find the length of a line segment or a side of a polygon. To find those lengths, it is recommended to calculate the distance between the endpoints of the segment, or between two vertices of a polygon. If those points are plotted on a coordinate plane, the Distance Formula can be used.
Given two points A(x1,y1) and B(x2,y2) on a coordinate plane, their distance d is given by the following formula.
Start by plotting A(x1,y1) and B(x2,y2) on the coordinate plane. Both points can be arbitrarily plotted in Quadrant I for simplicity. Note that the position of the points in the plane does not affect the proof. Assume that x2 is greater than x1 and that y2 is greater than y1.
a=x2−x1, b=y2−y1
Use the Distance Formula to calculate the distance between the points plotted in the coordinate plane. If needed, round the answer to two decimal places.
Ramsha and Davontay are learning to make picture frames so they want to determine whether the quadrilateral ABCD shown below is a rectangle.
Other than just using the Distance Formula, try the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem to determine whether the angles of the quadrilateral are right angles.
d=(x2−x1)2+(y2−y1)2 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Segment | Points | Substitute | Simplify |
AC | A(-3,0) & C(4,-1) | AC= (4−(-3))2+(-1−0)2 | AC= 52 |
AB | A(-3,0) & B(-2,2) | AB= (-2−(-3))2+(2−0)2 | AB= 5 |
BC | B(-2,2) & C(4,-1) | BC= (4−(-2))2+(-1−2)2 | BC= 35 |
By following the same procedure, it can be shown that ∠A, ∠C, and ∠D are also right angles.
Since each angle of ABCD is a right angle, the quadrilateral is a rectangle. Therefore, Ramsha is correct. She's on her way toward making some nice frames.
Start by finding the radius of the circle.
Sometimes the length of a segment is not what is needed. Instead, the coordinates of the point that lies exactly in the middle of a segment are needed.
If the points are plotted on a coordinate plane, the Midpoint Formula can be used to find the coordinates of the midpoint.
The midpoint M between two points A(x1,y1) and B(x2,y2) on a coordinate plane can be determined by the following formula.
M(2x1+x2,2y1+y2)
The formula above is called the Midpoint Formula.
LHS+xm=RHS+xm
LHS+x1=RHS+x1
Commutative Property of Addition
LHS/2=RHS/2
M(2x1+x2,2y1+y2)
Use the Midpoint Formula to calculate the coordinates of the midpoint M between the points plotted on the coordinate plane.
Paulina has joined the bandwagon of making picture frames. She wants to prove that the diagonals of the parallelogram shown below bisect each other.
See solution.
Use the Midpoint Formula to show that the diagonals intersect at their midpoint.
Substitute (-2,2) & (3,-3)
Add terms
a+(-b)=a−b
Put minus sign in front of fraction
ba=a÷b
M(2x1+x2,2y1+y2) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Diagonal | Endpoints | Substitute | Simplify |
BD | B(-2,2) & D(3,-3) | M(2-2+3,22+(-3)) | M(0.5,-0.5) ✓ |
AC | A(-3,0) & D(4,-1) | M(2-3+4,20+(-1)) | M(0.5,-0.5) ✓ |
The midpoint of both diagonals is the same as their point of intersection. Therefore, the diagonals bisect each other.
Paulina's best friend is obsessed with triangles. He has requested for Paulina to make him a triangular picture frame. Suppose Paulina can prove the Triangle Midsegment Theorem for the triangle below. She will better understand how to work with triangles and therefore make a better frame!
See solution.
Start by recalling the Triangle Midsegment Theorem.
Triangle Midsegment Theorem |
The segment that connects the midpoints of two sides of a triangle — a midsegment — is parallel to the third side of the triangle and half its length. |
M(2x1+x2,2y1+y2) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Side | Endpoints | Substitute | Simplify |
AB | A(0,0) and B(2,2.5) | M1(20+2,20+2.5) | M1(1,1.25) |
BC | B(2,2.5) and C(6,0) | M2(22+6,22.5+0) | M2(4,1.25) |
d=(x2−x1)2+(y2−y1)2 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Segment | Endpoints | Substitute | Simplify |
M1M2 | M1(1,1.25) and M2(4,1.25) | M1M2=(4−1)2+(1.25−1.25)2 | M1M2=3 |
BC | A(0,0) and C(6,0) | AC=(6−0)2+(0−0)2 | AC=6 |
The topics covered in this lesson can now be applied to the challenge. The figure below looks like a parallelogram; without using measuring tools, how can it be proven that the quadrilateral is a parallelogram?
See solution.
Place the quadrilateral on a coordinate plane. Then, translate it so that it has a vertex at the origin and a consecutive vertex on the x-axis.
To prove that the sides have the same length, the Distance Formula will be used.
d=(x2−x1)2+(y2−y1)2 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Segment | Points | Substitute | Simplify |
AD | A(0,0) & D(3,0) | AD= (3−0)2+(0−0)2 | AD= 3 |
BC | B(2,2) & C(5,2) | BC= (5−2)2+(2−2)2 | BC= 3 |
The length of the opposite sides AD and BC is 3. This means that AD and BC are congruent.
The quadrilateral has been proven to have a pair of congruent parallel sides. Therefore, it is a parallelogram.
A circle with radius a intercepts the x- and y-axis once each. It also intersects a circle with radius r and center at the origin at exactly one point.
The radius of the greater circle is a. This means that the center of the greater circle is at the point (a,a). If we draw a line segment between the origin and the center, its length equals the sum of the radii of the two circles.
Let's create an expression for the length of the segment between (0,0) and (a,a) using the Distance Formula.
The sum of the radii of the circles is asqrt(2). Since the smaller circle has a radius of r and the greater circle has a radius of a, we can write the following equation. r+a=asqrt(2) Let's solve for r.
The smaller circle has a radius of a(sqrt(2)- 1).
We are given the length of AB and the coordinates of its endpoints. A(n,n+1) and B(3n,n-2) With this information, we can use the Distance Formula to find the value of n. First, we will substitute the coordinates into the formula and simplify.
Now that we have simplified the formula as much as possible let's substitute the length of AB for d in the equation.
In this equation, n must be ± 3sqrt(3)2 for the distance of AB to be 6.
From the exercise, we know that P is somewhere on the line f(x). If we label the x-coordinate of P as a, the corresponding y-coordinate will be (2a-5). We also know that it should be in the first quadrant and 10 units from the origin. Let's illustrate this situation.
We know that the distance between ( a, 2a-5) and ( 0,0) should be 10 units. Let's substitute these values into the Distance Formula.
Now we can solve the quadratic equation by using the Quadratic Formula.
We have two solutions. If we calculate both of these, we notice that a_1 is not viable as it gives a negative x-coordinate. a_1=2-sqrt(19)=- 2.35889... This means a_2 is the only viable solution which means x_P=2+sqrt(19).