Click on the green flag. The mouse starts in the lower left corner, facing to the right (90º) and draws the first leg of the right triangle (250 steps) The mouse turns left 90º and draws the second leg of the triangle (random 75 - 200 steps). The mouse then uses the Pythagorean theorem to compute the length of the hypotenuse. The sine of the angle formed by the first leg and the hypotenuse is computed and the arcsine operator is used to compute the angle. Knowing this angle the mouse can compute the angle between the second leg and the hypotenuse. The mouse can then turn left (90º – this angle) and be pointed toward the stating point. The mouse theme moves the length of the hypotenuse to reach the starting point. A lot of geometry in this simple exercise that goes well beyond the textbook definition of 'right triangle'.
In Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, a test of a learner's 'comprehension' of a concept is the ability of the learner to 'rephrase’ or ‘restate' the concept in as many different ways as possible. For several years I have been interested in using standard mathematics curriculum as a source of computer coding exercises in which students ‘rephrase’ math concepts. Geometry is an especially rich source for computer coding projects. In this document we use computer code to explore the scalene triangle concept. Related Mouse Projects Scalene Triangle Mouse I https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/463821115/ Scalene Triangle Mouse II https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/466348827/ Scalene Triangle Mouse I Addendum https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/466107977/ Radian Mouse https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/465028285/ Perpendicular Mouse https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/20186064/ Parallel Mouse https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/21653980/ Angle Mouse https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/16793255/
