Make It Right

Students will be introduced to the converse of the Pythagorean theorem. They use the fact that changing the side lengths of a triangle to satisfy `a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}` guarantees a right triangle.

By Desmos Classroom

Learning goals: Learning Goals • Explain the converse of the Pythagorean theorem (that if the side lengths of a triangle satisfy the equation `a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}`, then the triangle must be a right triangle). • Determine whether a triangle with given side lengths is a right triangle using the converse of the Pythagorean theorem. Materials • Blank paper