B. Fibonacci Numbers Since the students have an understanding of the difficulties involved in generating Pythagorean triples and a look at the diversity of methods for doing so, they are ready to learn about the connection between the mathematical products of Fibonacci and Pythagoras. We read and discuss several articles describing the use of Fibonacci numbers to produce Pythagorean triples (cf. [6], [16], [17]). The students are intrigued with the connection. The discussion of Fibonacci and Pythagoras provides a historical perspective and the use of Fibonacci's numbers to generate Pythagoras' numbers illustrates how mathematics builds upon itself using newer techniques to reexamine old problems. The videotape The Theorem of Pythagoras (cf. [2]) shows dynamical versions of dissection proofs of the Pythagorean theorem. For a classroom activity, I organize students into small groups to "play with" a cardboard model of a dissection proof, asking them to assemble pre-cut pieces to illustrate the proof. This gives them a sense of what is involved in a dissection proof I then follow with a classroom experiment based on the idea of dissection proof designed to show the students that evidence is different from proof and to prepare the way for a Fibonacci connection. I ask the students to construct an 8 x 8 square and calculate the area of 64. Then I direct them to dissect their model into a 5 x 13 figure as indicated:
FIGURE