Transum Software

Pythagorean Probe

Use Pythagoras' Theorem to help find all of the measurements of these right angles triangles.

  Menu   Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6   Exam     Help     More  

This is level 1: given the lengths of two sides. The diagrams are not drawn to scale. Include the letters 'cm' when labelling sides but the units of perimeters and areas are already typed for you.

1

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

2

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

3

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

4

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

5

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

6

Perimeter =

cm

Area =

cm2

Check

This is Pythagorean Probe level 1. You can also try:
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

Instructions

Try your best to answer the questions above. Type your answers into the boxes provided leaving no spaces. As you work through the exercise regularly click the "check" button. If you have any wrong answers, do your best to do corrections but if there is anything you don't understand, please ask your teacher for help.

When you have got all of the questions correct you may want to print out this page and paste it into your exercise book. If you keep your work in an ePortfolio you could take a screen shot of your answers and paste that into your Maths file.

Why am I learning this?

Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician?

Comment recorded on the 19 June 'Starter of the Day' page by Nikki Jordan, Braunton School, Devon:

"Excellent. Thank you very much for a fabulous set of starters. I use the 'weekenders' if the daily ones are not quite what I want. Brilliant and much appreciated."

Comment recorded on the 2 May 'Starter of the Day' page by Angela Lowry, :

"I think these are great! So useful and handy, the children love them.
Could we have some on angles too please?"

Whose Idea Was This?

Did you enjoy doing this 'Pythagorean Probe' activity? Are you curious about who originally came up with this idea in Maths? Discover more about one of the mathematicians who is associated with this concept.

Featured Activity

Playing Card Maths

Playing Card Maths

Imagine you are on a desert island with nothing but a pack of playing cards. Do you have to stop learning mathematics? Of course not! Here are some great ideas for teachers, parents and tutors.

Answers

There are answers to this exercise but they are available in this space to teachers, tutors and parents who have logged in to their Transum subscription on this computer.

A Transum subscription unlocks the answers to the online exercises, quizzes and puzzles. It also provides the teacher with access to quality external links on each of the Transum Topic pages and the facility to add to the collection themselves.

Subscribers can manage class lists, lesson plans and assessment data in the Class Admin application and have access to reports of the Transum Trophies earned by class members.

If you would like to enjoy ad-free access to the thousands of Transum resources, receive our monthly newsletter, unlock the printable worksheets and see our Maths Lesson Finishers then sign up for a subscription now:

Subscribe

Go Maths

Learning and understanding Mathematics, at every level, requires learner engagement. Mathematics is not a spectator sport. Sometimes traditional teaching fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of interactive activities and this web site provides many of those. The Go Maths page is an alphabetical list of free activities designed for students in Secondary/High school.

Maths Map

Are you looking for something specific? An exercise to supplement the topic you are studying at school at the moment perhaps. Navigate using our Maths Map to find exercises, puzzles and Maths lesson starters grouped by topic.

Teachers

If you found this activity useful don't forget to record it in your scheme of work or learning management system. The short URL, ready to be copied and pasted, is as follows:

Alternatively, if you use Google Classroom, all you have to do is click on the green icon below in order to add this activity to one of your classes.

It may be worth remembering that if Transum.org should go offline for whatever reason, there is a mirror site at Transum.info that contains most of the resources that are available here on Transum.org.

When planning to use technology in your lesson always have a plan B!

Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.

Transum.org is a proud supporter of the kidSAFE Seal Program

© Transum Mathematics 1997-2024
Scan the QR code below to visit the online version of this activity.

This is a QR Code

https://www.Transum.org/go/?Num=1076

Description of Levels

Close

Pythagoras' Theorem Exercise - This would be a good place to start if you are a Pythagoras beginner.

Level 1 - Given the lengths of two sides

Suitable for
Years 8 to 10

Level 2 - Given two sides in different units

Level 3 - Given one short side and the area

Level 4 - Given two measurements

Suitable for
Years 11 to 13

Level 5 - Given algebraic expressions for sides

Level 6 - Given expressions for the perimeter and area

Exam Style Questions - A collection of problems in the style of GCSE or IB/A-level exam paper questions (worked solutions are available for Transum subscribers).

More on this topic including lesson Starters, visual aids, investigations and self-marking exercises.

This exercise was inspired by a recource shared on Twitter by Nathan Day @nathanday314

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

Log in Sign up

Curriculum Reference

See the National Curriculum page for links to related online activities and resources.

Help

Did you do the main Pythagoras' Theorem Exercise yet? This is the video that mas made to help you with that exercise.

Don't wait until you have finished the exercise before you click on the 'Check' button. Click it often as you work through the questions to see if you are answering them correctly. You can double-click the 'Check' button to make it float at the bottom of your screen. A tick or a cross will only appear if something has been typed into all of the input boxes for that question.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

Log in Sign up

This exercise was inspired by a recource shared on Twitter by Nathan Day @nathanday314

Close