Desi gni ng

Tr i angl es and
Quadr i l at er al s
Your work on Problems in Investigation 2revealed properties of polygons
that make them useful in natural objects likethe honeycombs made by
bees. In this Investigation you will discover properties of polygons that
make them useful in buildings, mechanical devices, and crafts.
Toexplore the connections between shapes and their uses in construction,
you will build some polygons using polystrips and fasteners likethese.
Tn IT
These tools will allow you to build and study polygons with various
combinations of side lengths and angles.
Common Core State Standards
7.G.A.2 Dr aw (fr eehand. wi t h r ul er and pr ot r act or , and wi t h t echnol ogy) geomet r i c
shapes wi t h gi ven condi t i ons. Focus on const r uct i ng t r i angl es fr om t hr ee measur es of
angl es or si des, not i ci ng when t he condi t i ons det er mi ne a uni que t r i angl e, mor e t han one
t r i angl e, or no t r i angl e.
7.G.B.S Use fact s about suppl ement ar y, compl ement ar y, ver t i cal . and adjacent angl es i n a
mul t i -st ep pr obl em t o wr i t e and sol ve si mpl e equat i ons for an unknown angl e i n a fi gur e.
Snapes and Opsigns
Not es
Shapes and Designs Investigation 3 Designing Triangles and Quadrilaterals
3.1 Bui L di ng Tr i angl es
Bridges, towers, and other structures contain many triangles in their design.
What properties of these simple polygons could make them valuable
inconstruction?
The best way to discover what isso special about triangles in construction is to
build several models and study their reaction to pressure.
aMake and study several test triangles using the steps below. Sketch and
label your results.
Step 1 Pick three numbers between 2and 20for side lengths of a
polystrip triangle.
Step 2 Try to make atriangle with the chosen side lengths. If you can
build atriangle, try to build adifferent triangle with the same
side lengths.
Repeat Steps 1and 2to make and study several other triangles. Record your
results in atable with headings likethis
Vl
-I
C
o
m
Z
-I
~
G)
m
1. List some sets of side lengths that did make atriangle.
2. List some sets of side lengths that did not make atriangle.
) Study your results from Question A with different side length possibilities.
1. What pattern do you see that explains why some sets of numbers
make atriangle and some do not?
2. For what side length relationships can you make more than one
triangle from agiven set of side lengths?
3. Find three other side lengths that make atriangle. Then, find three
other side lengths that will not make atriangle.
08i J Homework starts on page 76.
-'0 Designing Triangles and Quadrilaterals .'~D
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