As for real world applications, most of the buildings around you older than 30 years were designed by an architect

that
manually used geometric constructions for their drawings. I learned geometric constructions in my Tech Drawing class
before I learned them in maths class. Of course, CAD programs do all of that in the background now, but the reason that
Euclid chose the axioms that he did for his constructions was that it was about the real world. Otherwise, why include
the parallel postulate?
So as for a story, how about using a compass and straightedge (no rulers if you want to be pure) to design a net of an
interesting building (ie. not a cube). Starting from a single length to define the height of a wall, you could build a gabled
square house, a hexagonal round(ish) house, or a geodesic dome (soccer ball) all from simple geometric constructions.
You would end up with a little Euclidean village.
If you have studied symmetry, the structures could be decorated with various wallpaper and frieze patterns, maybe
replicated with similar techniques. One of your students could invent a recursive/fractal wallpaper!
If you have the opportunity, using software like Geogebra can extend the scope of design in purely geometric terms. The
infinite scalability from changing the first and only measurement is also amazing to watch. A revolutionary tool for any
part of geometry if you have computers or tablets available.
Though not using Euclidean constructions, I had some able students create nets for every Platonic and Archimedean
solid (and samples from the two infinite series of prisms and skew prisms) in Geogebra, discovering Euler's theorem for
plane networks and then using that to discover the more difficult combinations. A couple of the most complicated
Archimedean solids were hard to lay out and they needed a helping hand, but it was a worthwhile activity, though it
takes some time.
Constructions can be very rich, especially when combined with other areas of mathematics. I hope your students have
fun with whatever you choose.

geometry and art

Posted by:sarah #38005

Here's a great lesson:

Give students a tangram sheet(have them copied onto different colored paper). Give them a big sheet of white paper
too. The students have to desin any animal, insect, creature...with the given tangram pieces. Once they've created
something they have to glue it on the white paper and decorate the background. This background should fit with the
tangram creation. (For example, create a shark and decorate the sea in the background).
They really turn out creative!

i have, who has

Posted by:JoJo #109849

I use the "I have ___, who has ___?" game repeatedly during our geometry unit and several times
afterward. If you are unfamiliar with this, you need to make at least as many cards as there are students
in your class. Each card has an answer and a question. For example, one may say "I have radius. Who
has a triangle with three equal sides and three equal angles?" Whoever has the equilateral triangle card
would speak next. "I have equilateral triangle. Who has an eight-sided polygon?"
I use this "game" for several topics. The one they really love is for state capitals. "I have Albany. Who
has the capital of Florida?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNr52iFk7n4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRmYK5YUSRk
Angle Bisector. more ... A line that splits an angle into two equal angles. ("Bisect" means to divide into two
equal parts.)

The perpendicular bisector is a line that divides a line segment into two equal parts. It also makes a right
angle with the line segment. Each point on theperpendicular bisector is the same distance from each of the
endpoints of the original line segment.

The perpendicular bisector intersects segment AB at point C.

The distance from point A to point C is the same as the
distance from point B to point C.

Definition of a Perpendicular Bisector

How can an archaeologist determine the size of a plate if only a piece of it has been found? How can a landscaper determine sprinkler
placement for the most effective water use? It turns out that a single line, called the perpendicular bisector, can be very useful in both
of these problems.
The perpendicular bisector of line segment AB is a line that does two things:

Cuts the line segment AB into two equal pieces or bisects it

Makes a right angle with the line segment AB (is perpendicular)
The perpendicular bisector intersects segment AB at point C. The
distance from point A to point C is the same as the distance from
point B to point C.

An important property is that every point on the perpendicular bisector is the same distance from point A as it is from point B.

Creating a Perpendicular Bisector

Although you can easily create a perpendicular bisector using geometry software, to do it on paper, all you need is a straightedge and
a compass. First, draw your line segment, AB. Then use your compass to create a circle that has point A as its center, and passes
through point B. After drawing this circle, draw a second circle that has point B at its center, and passes through point A. The two
circles will intersect at two locations, as shown in the picture. A line drawn through the two points of intersection is the perpendicular
bisector of the line segment.

The perpendicular bisector of AB is shown. The two circles have

centers at A and B, respectively. The perpendicular bisector is
drawn through the two points where the circles intersect.

Math Applications
Most applications of the perpendicular bisector are in geometry theorems, proofs, and constructions. For example, you can use a
perpendicular bisector to construct a triangle that has two equal length sides, known as an isosceles triangle. If you construct the
perpendicular bisector of the line segment AB, every point on the perpendicular bisector will be the same distance from both point A
and point B. To construct your isosceles triangle, you can start from any point on the perpendicular bisector and draw line segments
to point A and to point B. The two line segments you have just drawn are guaranteed to be the same length! Additionally, the fact that
a given line is a perpendicular bisector of one side of a triangle, and passes through the opposite vertex, is proof that the triangle is
isosceles.

This triangle was formed by connecting a point on the

perpendicular bisector to both endpoints of the original segment.
The sides of the triangle shown in black are both the same length.
You can also use the perpendicular bisector to find the circumcenter of a triangle. This point is the center of a circle that passes
through all three corners, or vertices, of a triangle. To find this point, you will construct three perpendicular bisectors, one for each
side of the triangle. The point where all three perpendicular bisectors intersect is called the circumcenter. Using this center point, we
can draw a circle that passes through all three vertices.
Point D is called the circumcenter of the triangle because a circle that has its center at this point
will pass through all three corners of the triangle.

Perpendicular bisectors are also useful in finding the center of a circle. If we are given three points on the circle, point A, point B and
point C, then we can draw two line segments, AB and AC. The perpendicular bisectors of these two line segments will always intersect
at the center of the circle.
The perpendicular bisectors, shown here in red, intersect at the center of the circle.

The perpendicular bisectors, shown here in red, intersect at the

center of the circle.

Real-World Examples
Installing a sprinkler system
If a landscaper is installing a sprinkler system, he wants to water the
grass, but not the surrounding asphalt or gravel. For triangular lots, finding the circumcenter, can help the landscaper decide if just
one sprinkler will be an effective choice. In some cases, a single sprinkler can water the entire lot and will not waste water outside the
lot. In other cases, the single sprinkler at the center of the circle will water the entire lot, but a lot of water will be wasted outside the
lot. The landscaper and client will work together to determine the best solution.

Although the entire triangular lot shown is watered by a sprinkler

at point D, much of the water will go outside the lot and be wasted.