Building a Geometric Proof
Date: 06/03/99 at 14:54:28
From: Karen
Subject: Geometric proofs
I'm homeschooled, and I use Abeka geometry books. They have many
explanations to all of the proofs (two-column), but I still don't
understand how the proofs work. Nothing that anyone has told me has
helped me yet.
Date: 06/03/99 at 16:39:26
From: Doctor Peterson
Subject: Re: Geometric proofs
Hi, Karen. I try to make sure I catch questions from homeschoolers,
because I know from experience the value of having someone to talk to.
Probably the best way to help you would be to go through one specific
example that you don't understand; it's hard to talk about proofs
abstractly. Since you've asked about proofs in general, I'm going to
show you a question I got a couple of weeks ago and how I answered it.
This may give you a start at understanding other proofs; or you may
have more specific needs that this will help you express. Please write
back with any further questions you have.
You should also look through our FAQ on proofs, which talks about how
to do a proof:
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.proof.html
Question:
In my geometry class we are doing proofs and I just don't get them.
I've tried and tried, and I can't figure it out. I have the first
step, which is the given, and I don't know where to go from there.
can you please help me with the problem?
Given: Triangle ABC is a right triangle, with right angle 3.
Prove: Angle A and angle B are complementary angles.
Statement Reason
1) Triangle ABC is a right 1) Given
triangle with right angle 3.
Thank you,
Veronica
==========================
Proofs are probably something pretty new to you, and it does take time
to get a feel for what makes a proof good enough and how you can find
the way to prove something. It's really more like writing an essay
than like the math you've done before now - more creative and less
mechanical. That makes it harder, but also more rewarding and even
fun.
One thing that's important is not to sit staring at an empty
two-column chart. Our goal is to make a proof, not to fill in two
columns; if we think about the columns too early it can keep us from
the goal.
I like to think of a proof as a bridge, or maybe a path through a
forest: you have to start with some facts you are given, and find a
way to your destination. You have to start out by looking over the
territory, getting a feel for where you are and where you have to go -
what direction you have to head, what landmarks you might find on the
way, how you'll know when you're getting close.
In this case, what we start with is a right triangle; I suspect you
were given a picture that shows that angle 3 is at vertex C, because
that really should be stated as one of the "givens." Let's draw a
picture to we see what we have:
A
+
/|
/ |
/ |
/ 3|
+----+
B C
You have the structure built on one shore of the "river" we want to
cross:
Statement Reason
--------- ------
Triangle ABC is a right Given
triangle with right angle 3
We also know where we want to end up:
Angle A and angle B are ?
complementary angles
Let's look around a bit. What does "complementary" mean? We want to
show that A + B = 90 degrees. That tells us we want to work with the
angles of this triangle. What do we know about angles of a triangle?
You may have several theorems to consider; one that should come to
mind quickly is that the sum of the angles is 180 degrees.
What I've been doing here is looking at the tools and materials I have
to build our bridge or path. So far I know I start with a triangle,
one of whose angles is known; I want to get an equation involving the
other two angles; and I have a theorem about all the angles of a
triangle. That sounds promising!
Let's lay out what we have as the beginning of a proof:
Statement Reason
--------- ------
Triangle ABC is a right Given
triangle with right angle 3
.
.
.
A + B + C = 180 Sum of angles theorem
.
.
.
Angle A and angle B are ?
complementary angles
Now what do we need to fill in the gaps? Well, let's rewrite the other
statements in a way that looks more like the theorem we hope we can
use:
Statement Reason
--------- ------
Triangle ABC is a right Given
triangle with right angle 3
C = 90 Definition of right angle
.
.
.
A + B + C = 180 Sum of angles theorem
.
.
.
A + B = 90 ?
Angle A and angle B are Definition of complementary
complementary angles
Do you see how we're working both forward and backwards? That's where
my bridge-building analogy comes in: you can work on both ends of a
bridge and let them meet in the middle.
Okay, how can we show that A + B = 90? Since C is 90, we can just do
some algebra, subtracting the equation C = 90 from A + B + C = 180.
You've done the same sort of thing in algebra without having to write
it as a two-column proof; here we have to be able to say briefly why
this works, and you may have been given a list of basic facts about
algebra that you can use as reasons. I'll just call it "Subtracting
equals from equals."
Now all that's left is to put it together into a coherent proof. That
means we have to figure out how to state each step clearly; each step
has to follow from steps that have already been written; and each step
has to be small enough that we can give the reason without any huge
leaps that would be hard to explain. Let's try:
Statement Reason
--------- ------
Triangle ABC is a right Given
triangle with right angle 3
C = 90 Definition of right angle
A + B + C = 180 Sum of angles theorem
A + B = 90 Subtracting equals from equals
Angle A and angle B are Definition of complementary
complementary angles
This could use some rewriting to make it clearer, perhaps, and you
should use the correct symbolism for "the measure of angle C" rather
than just say "C"; but it does the job. (You can leave the cleaning up
to your editors when you publish your new theorem - that's their job!)
A lot of students worry whether they have stated their reasons well
enough, and usually most of the worries are about the most trivial
steps - the facts we may not even be able to give a name to because
they're obvious. That's why texts often spend a lot of time giving
special names to obvious facts, like "Corresponding Parts of Congruent
Triangles are Equal" - not because they're really important, but
because the two-column format requires you to say something, and they
don't want you to agonize over the wording. Real mathematicians don't
worry about such details, as long as they know each step is true. The
important thing for you is that you found a path. That's something to
celebrate - don't they have a little party when they finish a bridge,
and nail a tree to the top or something? Maybe you can draw a little
tree on your proof, and take a break before making the final copy.
It took a while to get this done, but it's rewarding to have explored
a jungle like this (or is it a river?) and find that we know our way
around well enough to build a path where there wasn't one before, just
as it's rewarding to have written a paper that explained thoughts we
didn't know we had, or facts we had to research. Or to explain to
someone how to do something they didn't know how to do. I hope I've
done that; feel free to write back for more help, because this is a
Big New Idea that takes getting used to.
- Doctor Peterson, The Math Forum
Building a Geometric ProofDate: 06/03/99 at 14:54:28From: KarenSubject: Geometric proofsI'm homeschooled, and I use Abeka geometry books. They have many explanations to all of the proofs (two-column), but I still don't understand how the proofs work. Nothing that anyone has told me has helped me yet.Date: 06/03/99 at 16:39:26From: Doctor PetersonSubject: Re: Geometric proofsHi, Karen. I try to make sure I catch questions from homeschoolers, because I know from experience the value of having someone to talk to.Probably the best way to help you would be to go through one specific example that you don't understand; it's hard to talk about proofs abstractly. Since you've asked about proofs in general, I'm going to show you a question I got a couple of weeks ago and how I answered it. This may give you a start at understanding other proofs; or you may have more specific needs that this will help you express. Please write back with any further questions you have.You should also look through our FAQ on proofs, which talks about how to do a proof: http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.proof.html Question:In my geometry class we are doing proofs and I just don't get them. I've tried and tried, and I can't figure it out. I have the first step, which is the given, and I don't know where to go from there.can you please help me with the problem?Given: Triangle ABC is a right triangle, with right angle 3.พิสูจน์: มุม A และมุม B เป็นมุมมื้อเหตุผลคำสั่ง1) สามเหลี่ยม ABC มีสิทธิ์ 1) ให้ สามเหลี่ยมมุมขวา 3ขอบคุณเวโรนิกา==========================หลักฐานอาจเป็นสิ่งใหม่สวยคุณ และมันใช้เวลา การรับความรู้สึกสิ่งที่ทำให้หลักฐานที่ดีพอและวิธีที่คุณสามารถค้นหา วิธีการพิสูจน์บางอย่าง มันเป็นจริง ๆ มากขึ้นเช่นการเขียนเรียงความ กว่าเช่นคณิตศาสตร์คุณได้ทำก่อน - สร้างสรรค์ และมากน้อย เครื่องจักรกล ที่ทำให้มันยาก แต่ยัง เพิ่มเติมให้รางวัล และแม้ สนุกสิ่งหนึ่งที่สำคัญคือจะไม่นั่งจ้องว่าง แผนภูมิสองคอลัมน์ เป้าหมายของเราคือการ ทำให้หลักฐาน การกรอกข้อมูลในสอง คอลัมน์ ถ้าเราคิดว่า เกี่ยวกับคอลัมน์ เร็วเกินไปก็สามารถเก็บจากเรา เป้าหมายชอบคิดว่า หลักฐานเป็นสะพาน หรืออาจเป็นเส้นทางผ่านการ ป่า: คุณต้องเริ่มต้น ด้วยข้อเท็จจริงบางอย่างคุณจะได้รับ และค้นหาความ วิธีการจุดหมายปลายทางของคุณ คุณต้องเริ่มต้น ด้วยการมองเห็นการ ดินแดน การรับความรู้สึกที่คุณมีและที่ต้องไป - ทิศทางใดต้องใหญ่ สถานใดคุณอาจพบ ทาง คุณจะรู้เมื่อคุณกำลังเรียกใช้ปิดในกรณีนี้ สิ่งที่เราเริ่มต้นด้วยเป็นสามเหลี่ยมมุมฉาก สงสัยว่าคุณ ได้รับรูปภาพที่แสดงมุมที่ 3 ที่จุด C เนื่องจาก ที่จริงควรระบุเป็นหนึ่งใน "givens" ลองวาดเป็น รูปภาพให้เราดูสิ่งที่เรามี: A + /| / | / | / 3| +----+ B Cคุณมีโครงสร้างที่สร้างขึ้นบนฝั่งหนึ่งของ "แม่น้ำ" ที่เราต้องการ ระหว่าง: เหตุผลคำสั่ง --------- ------ สามเหลี่ยม ABC มีสิทธิได้รับ สามเหลี่ยมมุมขวา 3นอกจากนี้เรายังรู้ว่าที่เราต้องการค่า: มุม A และมุม B บ้าง มุมมื้อลองดูบิต "เสริม" หมายถึงอะไร เราต้องการ แสดงว่า A + B = 90 องศา ที่บอกเราต้องการ มุมของสามเหลี่ยมนี้ สิ่งที่เรารู้เกี่ยวกับมุมของรูปสามเหลี่ยมหรือไม่ คุณอาจมีหลายทฤษฎีพิจารณา ที่ควรมา จิตใจได้อย่างรวดเร็วเป็นที่ผลรวมของมุมเป็นมุม 180 องศาผมเคยได้ทำอะไรที่นี่กำลังมองหาเครื่องมือและวัสดุที่มี สร้างสะพานหรือเส้นทางของเรา จนฉันรู้ว่า ฉันเริ่มต้น ด้วยรูปสามเหลี่ยม หนึ่งมุมมีชื่อเสียง อยากได้สมการที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการ เสื่อ 2 และมีทฤษฎีบทเกี่ยวกับมุมทั้งหมดของการ สามเหลี่ยม ว่าเสียงสัญญาลองวางสิ่งที่เรามีเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นของหลักฐาน: เหตุผลคำสั่ง --------- ------ สามเหลี่ยม ABC มีสิทธิได้รับ สามเหลี่ยมมุมขวา 3 . . . A + B + C = 180 ผลรวมของมุมทฤษฎีบท . . . มุม A และมุม B บ้าง มุมมื้อตอนนี้ อะไรต้องเติมในช่องว่างหรือไม่ ดี ลองเขียนใหม่อีก คำสั่งที่มีลักษณะเพิ่มเติมเช่นทฤษฎีบทที่เราหวังว่า เราสามารถ ใช้: เหตุผลคำสั่ง --------- ------ สามเหลี่ยม ABC มีสิทธิได้รับ สามเหลี่ยมมุมขวา 3 C = 90 รายละเอียดของฉาก . . . A + B + C = 180 ผลรวมของมุมทฤษฎีบท . . . A + B = 90 มุม A และมุม B มีรายละเอียดของเพิ่มเติม มุมมื้อดูว่าเรากำลังทำงานไปข้างหน้า และย้อนหลังหรือไม่ ถูก my bridge-building analogy comes in: you can work on both ends of a bridge and let them meet in the middle.Okay, how can we show that A + B = 90? Since C is 90, we can just do some algebra, subtracting the equation C = 90 from A + B + C = 180. You've done the same sort of thing in algebra without having to write it as a two-column proof; here we have to be able to say briefly why this works, and you may have been given a list of basic facts about algebra that you can use as reasons. I'll just call it "Subtracting equals from equals."Now all that's left is to put it together into a coherent proof. That means we have to figure out how to state each step clearly; each step has to follow from steps that have already been written; and each step has to be small enough that we can give the reason without any huge leaps that would be hard to explain. Let's try: Statement Reason --------- ------ Triangle ABC is a right Given triangle with right angle 3 C = 90 Definition of right angle A + B + C = 180 Sum of angles theorem A + B = 90 Subtracting equals from equals Angle A and angle B are Definition of complementary complementary anglesThis could use some rewriting to make it clearer, perhaps, and you should use the correct symbolism for "the measure of angle C" rather than just say "C"; but it does the job. (You can leave the cleaning up to your editors when you publish your new theorem - that's their job!) A lot of students worry whether they have stated their reasons well enough, and usually most of the worries are about the most trivial steps - the facts we may not even be able to give a name to because they're obvious. That's why texts often spend a lot of time giving special names to obvious facts, like "Corresponding Parts of Congruent Triangles are Equal" - not because they're really important, but because the two-column format requires you to say something, and they don't want you to agonize over the wording. Real mathematicians don't worry about such details, as long as they know each step is true. The important thing for you is that you found a path. That's something to celebrate - don't they have a little party when they finish a bridge, and nail a tree to the top or something? Maybe you can draw a little tree on your proof, and take a break before making the final copy.It took a while to get this done, but it's rewarding to have explored a jungle like this (or is it a river?) and find that we know our way around well enough to build a path where there wasn't one before, just as it's rewarding to have written a paper that explained thoughts we didn't know we had, or facts we had to research. Or to explain to someone how to do something they didn't know how to do. I hope I've done that; feel free to write back for more help, because this is a Big New Idea that takes getting used to.
- Doctor Peterson, The Math Forum
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