Name: ________________________ Block: _____ Bhaskaras First Proof In the above diagrams, the blue triangles are all

congruent and the yellow squares are congruent. First we need to find the area of the big squares two different ways. 1. Using the formula for the area of the blue square, Area = c2. 2. Adding the area of each component: Area of the blue triangles = ( ) Area of the yellow square = ( Area of the big square = ( ) ) ( )

= = 3. Since the square has the same area no matter which way you find it. Concluding the proof. Bhaskaras Second Proof For this problem you will need to know the AA postulate: If two angles of one triangle are congruent to two angles of another triangle, then the triangles are similar. This proof uses triangle similarity. We want to prove that triangles ABC and CBE are similar. It follows from the AA postulate that because angle ABC is congruent to angle CBE and angle ACB is congruent to angle CEB, then triangle ABC is similar to triangle CBE. Thus, since internal ratios are equal s/a = a/c. Multiplying both sides by ac we get

Now show that triangles ABC and ACE are similar. As before, it follows from the AA postulate that these two triangles are similar. Angle CAB is congruent to angle CAE and angle ACB is congruent to angle CEA. Thus, r/b = b/c. Multiplying both sides by bc we get

Now when we add the two results we get

) concluding the proof.

Name: ________________________ Block: _____ Garfields Proof The twentieth president of the United States gave the following proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this proof five years before he became President. He hit upon this proof in 1876 during a mathematics discussion with some of the members of Congress. It was later published in the New England Journal of Education. The proof depends on calculating the area of a right trapezoid two different ways. He used the following trapezoid in developing his proof. First, we need to find the area of the trapezoid by using the area formula of the trapezoid. Area of a trapezoid = ( ) ( In the diagram, ( )( )( ) ). and ( )( )

Now lets find the area of the trapezoid by summing up the area of the three right triangles. The area of the yellow triangle is The area of the red triangle is The area of the blue triangle is ( ) ( ) ( ) . ( ) ( ) ( )( ) ( )( .

The sum of the area of the triangles is ( ) )

Since this area is equal to the area of the trapezoid, we have the following relation: ( )( ) ( )( )

Multiplying both sides by 2 and subtracting 2ab from both sides we get