How to Teach Plane Geometry Using GeoGebra
GeoGebra is a free Web application that maps functions such as lines, ellipses and circles. It is a perfect application to teach plane geometry because it is very accurate and provides many drawing and inquiry tools to complete and analyze the geometry constructions. Although the application is very accessible, it does not snap to intersections, which are important for constructions. You must use the "Point" tools to mark the intersections and draw lines or circles through the drawn points. GeoGebra can be downloaded and installed on your computer or run online in your browser.
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Instructions
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Download the application or start the web application, available at GeoGebra's website. If you download the application, follow its instructions to install it and open it on your computer. For both the downloaded application and the web application, GeoGebra will open a window with a Cartesian plane below a series of tool buttons.
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Connect and turn on your computer projector to teach your students plane geometry. Expand or "Maximize" your GeoGebra window to fill up your screen.
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Begin your plane geometry construction using the "Circle with Center through Point" and "Line through Two Points" tools. The "Circle with Center though Point" tool is equivalent to using a compass, whereas "Line through Two Points" is equivalent to a straightedge.
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Use the "New Point" or "Intersect Two Objects" tools to define points and intersections. These tools specify precise points to increase the accuracy of the constructions. If you do not use these tools, your constructions will use arbitrary points neighboring the intersections.
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Analyze the constructions with the "Angle," "Distance or Length," "Area" and "Slope" tools. If you have used the "Circle with Center through Point," "Line through Two Points," "New Point" and "Intersect Two Objects" tools, your constructions will be extremely accurate.
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Tips & Warnings
GeoGebra provides many tools for mathematics beyond those for plane geometry. Explore the possibilities, including the algebra, trigonometry, logic and calculus tools in the lower right corner of the GeoGebra application.
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