Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Geometry (Class 33)
Overview
§5.3 Medians and Altitudes of a Triangle
Today we will investigate the center of mass, the balance point, of a triangle and develop the geometry that can be used to locate the center of mass.
Key Attitudes
Mathematics can be a tool for investigating and uncovering facts.
Investigating requires creativity and persistence.
If you don’t first succeed, try, try again.
Key Ideas
The center of mass of an object is the location at which the object will balance.
For some triangles, the center of mass can be located by constructing the circumcenter of the triangle.
For some triangles, the center of mass can be located by constructing the incenter of the triangle.
A median of a triangle is created by connecting a vertex with the midpoint of the opposite side of the triangle.
The medians of a triangle are concurrent and the point of concurrency is called the “centroid”
The centroid of a triangle is the balance point, the center of mass, of the triangle.
Key Skills
Measuring lengths using a ruler (cm).
Drawing and constructing the medians of a triangle.
Drawing and constructing the centroid of a triangle.
Vocabulary
balance point
center of mass
median of a triangle
centroid
Assignment
Lesson 5.2 Practice C #3-8
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