Topic of the week

Pythagorean Theorem

I wanted to write about this diagram. I actually learned this recently and really enjoyed it as my teacher showed it to me. It provides a great way to visually introduce the topic to students. The triangles has sides a,b,c. The square has 4 triangles that form two squares with areas b^2 and a^2. It can be a quick activity where the students can cut out the triangles and fit the pieces. When the triangles are rearranged to create another square, where all the c sides create a square, the student can see that the area of the square is c^2.

It's a visual proof to help students to see how the pythagorean theorem works. It helps students to reinforce that a^2+b^2=c^2.

What's so great about math? Why do we need to learn it?

Math is important. As an engineer, I got to see an in-depth application of it. Students should learn it for several reasons. Math reaches every product they use. An easy examples are the iPhone and computers. Without math, these popular products would not exist and not redefine the way we live. Now I know not every student will want to be an engineer or scientist. They need to see the applications to their lives everyday, such as using money. I don’t think any student wants to be ripped off or lose more money than they need to. I’ve also realized that math is a good tool to develop problem-solving skills, so even if students don’t love math, they gain the ability to problem solve. I hope that students can see why math is important to learn. It's not just about numbers and greek letters.