Year 8 Mathematics 2024

Topic 2:
Right Angled Triangles
“Pythagoras’ Theorem”

Name:_______________________________________ Class: 8_____

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 Year 8 book marking slip: Pythagoras’ Theorem
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2 Prep 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

3 Prep 3, 16, 17, 18, 19

4 Prep 4, 21, 22, 24

5 Prep 5, 30, 31, 32

6 Prep 6, 37, 38, 39, 40

7 Prep 7, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55

8 Prep 8, 59, 60, 61, 62

9 In Summation: 63, 64, 65, 66, 67

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Table of Contents

Key Terms ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Lesson 1: Who or what is Pythagoras? ............................................................................................ 5
Lesson 2: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem I .................................................................................. 9
Lesson 3: The Hypotenuse................................................................................................................ 15
Lesson 4: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem II ............................................................................... 20
Lesson 5: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem III .............................................................................. 25
Lesson 6: Is it a Right-Angled Triangle? .......................................................................................... 33
Lesson 7: Applying Pythagoras’ Theorem ....................................................................................... 41
Lesson 8: Pythagorean Triads ........................................................................................................... 56
Lesson 9: In Summation .................................................................................................................. 63
Lesson 10 (Extension): Working with different units ..................................................................... 68
Lesson 11 (Extension): Composite shapes........................................................................................ 74
Lesson 12 (Extension): Pythagoras in 3D ....................................................................................... 79

Key Terms

You are to create a Maths Dictionary on your laptop. Your dictionary

must be alphabetical order and include the mathematical term and the
MATHEMATICAL definition. The definitions MUST be related to the
topic being studied. This will be required every topic! The terms for
this topic that you are required to find the definition for are:
VOCABULARY
Look up the MATHEMATICAL definition of the following words.
approximate horizontal right angled triangle
estimate hypotenuse square
exact answer inclined square root
foot of a ladder opposite vertical
guy wire right angle wire stay

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Lesson 1: Who or what is Pythagoras?

PREP
Complete your Maths Dictionary. The words can be found on page 4 of this booklet.

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ACTIVITY

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PYTHAGORAS

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos in about 575 BC. This was 575 years before
Christ was born. At this time there were no modern inventions like cars, aeroplanes or
televisions.

Pythagoras was a thinker. He spent a lot of his time thinking about the world and solving
problems. He was very interested in mathematics and said that all things were numbers.

He moved to the south of Italy where he started a school. He also started a secret group who
studied mathematics and other things about the world. They also studied what they could
see in the skies above them. They were religious and had a special badge which looked like
this.

Pythagoras did not leave any of his ideas in writing. They were passed on by word of mouth.
Later his ideas were written down.

Pythagoras died in 500 BC. One of the stories about his death says that he was at a friend’s
house and enemies burned it down and he died in the fire. Another story says that he died
while he was on a forty day fast.

Pythagoras was very important in mathematics and he gave us the theorem for finding the
length of the sides of a right triangle.

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True or false?

1. Pythagoras did not write down his ideas because his computer was broken. __________

2. Pythagoras liked numbers. __________

3. Pythagoras was more than 70 years old when he died. __________

4. Pythagoras travelled all over the world in a car and an aeroplane. __________

5. Pythagoras wrote a book about mathematics. __________

6. Circle the verbs below which tell you what Pythagoras did?

thought flew drove painted

ran studied solved farmed

7. Match the word to its meaning with a straight line:

enemies something not many people know

theorem to find the answer

solve a rule that can be proved

secret not to eat

fast people who are not your friends

8. Put these sentences in order by numbering them from 1 to 4:

Pythagoras started a secret group.

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos.

Pythagoras died in 500 BC.

Pythagoras moved to the south of Italy.

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Lesson 2: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem I

PREP 2
PART 1: Instructional Video

Watch the following video that can be found on CANVAS:

Lesson 2: The Egyptian “Rope Stretchers”.

PART 2: Comprehension Questions

1. What are two things the Egyptian Rope Stretchers are speculated to have done?

2. The ropes were used to create what type of triangles?

3. How many knots did the rope have?

4. Research - What is this triangle known as in today’s society, especially in construction?

PART 3: Using string and a either permanent marker or knots, create a model of the tool the
Rope Stretchers may have used.

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 ACTIVITY 1

In ancient Egypt, mathematicians developed many useful

ideas for everyday living. One example was used by
Egyptian farmers. Each year the Nile River flooded,
leaving behind a stretch of fertile land where the
Egyptians grew their crops of barley and emmer wheat.
But, when the river flooded, the boundaries of the fields
were lost and had to be accurately “redrawn.” Egyptian
surveyors or “rope stretchers” used lengths of ropes with
equally spaced knots tied in them to measure land boundaries. When two fields bordered one
another, the rope stretchers had to measure a right angle to form the corners of the fields. The
establishment of boundaries was also important because the area of the land determined the
amount of taxes, and the scribes kept the accounts for taxation.

QUESTIONS
1. Why do the rope stretchers need to redraw the boundaries every year.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why is it important to have boundaries?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why is it important that the boundaries are 90˚?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Provide examples where you could use this technique today.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 ACTIVITY 2

1. In groups of 3 create your own “knotted rope” using the 120 cm piece of
string provided by your teacher.

2. Create a right-angled triangle.

3. Take a photo of your group’s triangle. Upload this onto Canvas.

4. Draw a diagram of your triangle, showing all the knots.

5. If a “length” is considered to be the space between two knots, what is the

length of each side of your right-angled triangle?

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QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS

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Lesson 3: The Hypotenuse

PREP 3
PART 1: Read the notes below this table on Identifying the Hypotenuse.

PART 2: Comprehension Questions

1. What is the longest side of a right- angled triangle called?

2. What type of triangle has a hypotenuse?

3. Where is the hypotenuse located in a right-angled triangle?

PART 3: Draw 5 right angled triangles that are rotated in different positions. Label the right
angle and hypotenuse on each one.

NOTES

The HYPOTENUSE
All right triangles have one right (90-degree) angle, and the hypotenuse is the side that is
opposite that angle. The hypotenuse is always the longest side of the right angled triangle.

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QUESTIONS

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The following square has been divided up into many shapes, many of which are right angled
triangles.

 List as many hypotenuses as you can in 10 minutes.

 Write your answers in the form “AC in ΔABC” in the box at the bottom of this page.
 The first two answers have been provided for you!

Answers
AH in ΔAFH
DM in ΔDLM

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QUESTIONS 2

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QUESTIONS 2

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Lesson 4: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem II

PREP 4
PART 1: Instructional Video

Watch the following video(s) that can be found on CANVAS:

Lesson 4: “Pythagoras in 2 minutes”

PART 2: Comprehension Questions

1. The video is using the concept of areas to show what?

2. What is the formula for Pythagoras’ theorem (shown at the end of the clip).

3. Describe in words Pythagoras’ theorem based on the video.

4. Draw the example used in the video.

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 ACTIVITY

Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem

Have a look at the diagram on the left. It is a
right angled triangle with squares drawn off
each side.

Each square in the diagram is to be considered

1 unit long.

1. How long is leg 𝑎𝑎? ____________________________

2. How long is leg 𝑏𝑏? ____________________________

3. How long is the hypotenuse (side 𝑐𝑐)? _______

4. What is the area of the square alongside 𝑎𝑎? ______________________________________________________

5. What is the area of the square alongside 𝑏𝑏? ______________________________________________________

6. What is the sum of these two areas (parts 4 and 5)? ____________________________________________

7. What is the area of the square alongside the hypotenuse? ______________________________________

8. Explain the relationship between the sum of the areas off of the legs and area off of the
hypotenuse?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you think all right triangles will have lengths that are integers? Explain.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 ACTIVITY 2

For this activity you will need graph paper, coloured pencils, glue and scissors.

A On a sheet of graph paper, draw a right-angled triangle with a base of 4 cm and a height of 3
cm.

B Carefully draw a square on each of the three sides of the triangle and mark a grid on each so
that the square on the base is divided into 16 small squares, while the square on the height is
divided into 9 small squares.

C Colour the square on the base, and the square on the height in different colours as shown at
right so that you can still see the grid lines.

D Carefully cut out the two-coloured squares from the triangle.

E Now stick the larger of the coloured squares on the uncoloured square of the triangle (the
square on the hypotenuse).

F Using the grid lines as a guide, see if you can cut the smaller square up and fit it on the
remaining space. The two-coloured squares should have exactly covered the third square.

G What do you notice about the hypotenuse and the other two sides of a right-angled triangle?

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Page 23 of 83
INVESTIGATION

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Lesson 5: Discovering Pythagoras’ Theorem III

PREP 5
PART 1: Notes

Read notes on pages 26 to 29 of this booklet

PART 2: HOTmaths

Course: NSW AC Years 7 & 8

Topic: Indices and Roots
Lesson: Square Roots
1. Read the notes
2. Attempt the Walkthroughs.

3. Choose AT LEAST ONE level of questions to complete. Try to challenge yourself and aim
to get above 90% correct in the highest level possible.

PART 3: Comprehension Questions

1. What are square numbers?

2. What is the square root symbol called?

3. Use your calculator to work out the following: 𝟑𝟑𝟐𝟐 , 𝟑𝟑. 𝟓𝟓𝟐𝟐 , 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟐𝟐

4. Use your calculator to work out the following: √𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏, √𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏, √𝟏𝟏. 𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔

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 NOTES

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QUESTIONS

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 ACTIVITY

Using Squares & Roots to Verify Pythagoras’ Theorem

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Lesson 6: Is it a Right-Angled Triangle?

PREP 6
PART 1: Instructional Video

Watch the following video which can be found on CANVAS:

Lesson 6: “Proving A Triangle Is Right Angled”

PART 2: Comprehension Questions

1. How do we prove a triangle is right angled?

2. There are 8 triangles in the video. Which of the 8 are right angled?

3. There are 3 examples showing how to prove if a triangle is right angled. Either copy
examples 1, 2 or 3 OR follow those steps to prove triangle H (from the video) is right
angled and triangles E and G (also from the video) are not.

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 NOTES

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Testing for right-angled triangles:

Pythagoras’ theorem states:

In a right-angles triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the
squares of the other two sides.

However, the converse (or reverse) of Pythagoras’ theorem is also true.

If the square of one side of a triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the
other two sides, then the triangle must be a right-angles triangle.

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Solution:

a) b)

The aim is to prove Pythagoras Theorem is true. The aim is to prove Pythagoras Theorem is
That is, 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 = 𝑐𝑐 2 true. That is, 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 = 𝑐𝑐 2

In this case, 12 & 5 are the two shorter sides and In this case, 8 & 9 are the two shorter sides and
13 is to be the longest side: 12 is to be the longest side:

LHS = 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 LHS = 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2

= 122 + 52 = 82 + 92

= 144 + 25 = 64 + 81

= 169 = 145

RHS = 𝑐𝑐 2 RHS = 𝑐𝑐 2

= 132 = 122

= 169 = 144

∴ LHS = RHS which means 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 = 𝑐𝑐 2 ∴ LHS ≠ RHS which means 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 ≠ 𝑐𝑐 2

∴ The triangle is a right-angled as the three sides ∴ The triangle is NOT a right-angled as the
follow the Pythagoras theorem. three sides DO NOT follow the Pythagoras
theorem.

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 2

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 QUESTIONS 3

1.

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book or use the next page.

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2.

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

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Lesson 7: Applying Pythagoras’ Theorem

PREP 7
PART 1: Instructional Video

Watch the following video which can be found on CANVAS:

Lesson 7: “Applying Pythag”

PART 2: HOTmaths

Course: NSW AC Years 7 & 8

Topic: Pythagoras’ Theorem

Lesson: a. Length of the hypotenuse

b. Length of any side

1. Read the notes

2. Have a go at the Widgets

3. Attempt the Walkthroughs

4. Choose AT LEAST ONE level of questions to complete. Try to challenge yourself and aim to get
above 90% correct in the highest level possible.

PART 3: Comprehension Questions

1. What is the formula for Pythagoras’ Theorem?

2. Which letter in the formula represents the hypotenuse?

3. What are the steps for finding the length of the hypotenuse in a right angled triangle?

4. What are the steps for finding the length of a leg (shorter side) in a right angled triangle?

5. Research – what is the difference between an exact solution and an approximation?

6. If you are asked to leave your answer in exact form, what does that mean when answering a
question involving Pythagoras’ Theorem?

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 NOTES

Finding the length of the hypotenuse in a right-angled triangle:

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Finding the missing length of a shorter side in a right-angled triangle:

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Using Pythagoras’ theorem to solve 2D or 3D problems:

Some questions require a double applications of Pythagoras theorem to solve. So apply the
Pythagoras theorem to get your first answer, leave it as a surd for accuracy, then apply the
Pythagoras theorem the second time.

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 QUESTIONS 1

FINDING THE LENGTH OF THE HYPOTENUSE

1

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

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2

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

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4

Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

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 QUESTIONS 2

FINDING THE LENGTH OF A SHORTER SIDE

Note: Show all your working on the NEXT page.

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in
your exercise book.

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QUESTIONS 3

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 QUESTIONS 4

PROBLEM SOLVING INVOLVING PYTHAGORAS’ THEOREM

Note: Show all your working on the NEXT page.

1

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Write your solutions here. If you need more space, answer the remaining questions in your
exercise book.

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6

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 EXTENSION

PYTHAGORAS’ THEOREM- Two Triangle Application

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Lesson 8: Pythagorean Triads

PREP 8
PART 1: Instructional Videos

Watch the following videos which can be found on CANVAS: [Note: the second video is
recommended for those students who have found this topic reasonably easy]:

Lesson 8a: Pythagoras' Theorem- Pythagorean Triads - Level 1.

Lesson 8b: Art of Problem Solving- Power of Pythagorean Triples - Level 2

PART 2: Comprehension Questions

1. What is a Pythagorean Triad?

2. How can you identify or find a Pythagorean Triad?

3. List 5 examples of Pythagorean triads.

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 NOTES

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When a is odd use:
1 1
𝑏𝑏 = 2 × (𝑎𝑎2 − 1) and 𝑐𝑐 = 2 × (𝑎𝑎2 + 1)

When a is even use:

𝑎𝑎 2 𝑎𝑎 2
𝑏𝑏 = �2� − 1 and 𝑐𝑐 = �2� + 1

Example:

1) a = 4 2) a = 17

4 2 4 2 1 1
𝑏𝑏 = 2 × (172 − 1) and 𝑐𝑐 = 2 × (172 + 1)
𝑏𝑏 = �2� − 1 , 𝑐𝑐 = �2� + 1
b = 3, c = 5 b = 144, c = 145

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 QUESTIONS 1

Answer ALL questions in your exercise book, showing ALL WORKING OUT!

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 ACTIVITY

1. Complete the following table for the triangle; you will need to use Pythagoras to find some
of the missing lengths.

a b c a2 b2 c2

3 4

49 625

11 61

8 100

400 441

5 169

15 81

These values for a, b and c are called “Pythagorean Triples” because a, b and c are always whole
numbers (or integers). Notice some triples are multiples of other triples.

(3, 4, 5), (5, 12, 13), (7, 24, 25) are just some Pythagorean triples

2. Find some more Pythagorean triples that are multiples of those found in question 1. Then
check that 𝑎𝑎2 + 𝑏𝑏 2 = 𝑐𝑐 2

Check
2 2 2
a b c a b c

4 × 3 = 12 4 × 4 = 16 4 × 5 = 20 144 256 400

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3. Another method to find triples is to choose any odd number for a. Then to find b and c first
find 𝑎𝑎2 , then halve it and choose the nearest whole number less than this value for b and
the nearest whole number greater than this value for c. Two examples are given, find
another 3.

a a2 a2 ÷ 2 b c triple Check
3 9 4.5 4 5 (3, 4, 5)

13 169 84.5 84 85 (13, 84, 85)

4. Construct a triangle with sides of length 3cm, 4cm and 5cm.

Is a triangle with sides’ 3cm, 4 cm and 5cm always a right-angled triangle? __________

**Can you explain why?

________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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QUESTIONS 2

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Lesson 9: In Summation
Create a Mind Map that reminds you of all the important facts learnt in this topic!

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REVIEW 1 – Further Problem Solving Questions

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REVIEW 2

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REVIEW 2

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Lesson 10 (Extension): Working with different units

EXAMPLES:

1)

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2)

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 1

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Lesson 11 (Extension): Composite shapes

EXAMPLES:

1)

2)

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QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS

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 QUESTIONS
7 Jess paddles a canoe 1700 m to the west, then 450 m south, and then 900 m to the east. She
then stops for a rest. How far is she from her starting point?

8 A yacht race starts and finishes at A and consists of 6 legs; AB, BC, CA, AE, EC, CA, in that
order as shown in the figure at right. If AB = 4 km, BC = 3 km and CE = 3 km,
4 km
find: B A
a AE
3km

C
E

b AC

c the total length of the race.

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QUESTIONS

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Lesson 12 (Extension): Pythagoras in 3D
EXAMPLES:
1)

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 1

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QUESTIONS 2

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