What special relationships exist in right triangles? In the high school performance task, learners investigate Pythagorean triples. They then determine rules for the perimeter and area of right triangles given the shortest side.

Concepts

pythagorean theorem, pythagorean triples, right triangles, perimeter of triangles, area of triangles

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Use as a class investigation rather than as an assessment tool
• Provide scaffolding for number three as it may be difficult for some learners

Classroom Considerations

• Introduce the term primitive Pythagorean triple to describe the kind of triples shown in the task

Pros

• Straightforward task is easy for pupils to understand and for instructors to teach

Cons

• Figures are drawn haphazardly

Common Core

8.G.B.7 HSA-CED.A.1 HSA-CED.A.2 HSA-CED.A.3 HSA-CED.A.4 MP2 MP3 MP6 MP7