Monday, March 23, 2020

Online Math Circle: Pythagorean Triples



The Pythagorean theorem tells us that if a and b are the legs, and c the hypotenuse, of a right triangle, then a2+b2 = c2. Usually that makes at least one side something ugly like square root of 2. But a few combinations make all three sides whole numbers. Those are called Pythagorean triples. Here are a few of them: 3-4-5, 6-8-10, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, 20-12-29.


Are there patterns to this? Let's play, and see what we can figure out! (We will use some algebra.)

[This was my intro to the online circle, whose recording was included here. Sadly, zoom recordings expire, and it is no longer available.]



Way back in 2007, I read Bob and Ellen Kaplan's book, Out of the Labyrinth: Setting Mathematics Free, about the math circles they lead. It was such a discovery for me! I went to their first Summer Math Circle Teacher Training Institute, held at Notre Dame, and fell in love with this community. I kept going back for years, craving a discussion of math among equals, figuring out new ways of seeing. One summer we discussed Pythagorean triples, and that December I tried to rebuild what I had learned. I am blessed with a very bad memory, so what I did in December looked very different from what we had done in the summer.

I was also exploring online, and ended up putting together a book that collected some of the best resources I had found: Playing with Math: Stories from Math Circles, Homeschoolers, and Passionate Teachers.

Our circle was prompted by Rodi Steinig's request for help learning how to use zoom for online math circles. I offered one of my favorite topics, and off we went. Participants came from as far away as Colombia (and farther?).

We proved a few things, and explored a bunch more. I hope some participants went home eager to prove more on their own.

 
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