This photograph would be a great introduction to one of the many practical uses of the Pythagorean Theorem...constructing a gable roof, favorable for climates with a lot of snowfall. A gable roof is made from two identical right triangles with their hypotenuses as the slopes of the roof. Maybe if I thought about it some more I could come up with a homework assignment related to somehow measuring the roofs? Not sure how I would do that, but I'll give it some more thought as I'm sure I'll be teaching the Pythagorean Theorem at many points in the future.Using pictures in general will be a great tool for me to bring the real world into the classroom. Memorization has become the norm for math, while I feel it is most important to relate the math to why it is useful and where it is used in life - in careers, everyday activities, etc. Making connections will allow the math to come alive and be more than simply numbers, letters, and sketches on the page.
Here is a picture of a statue of mathematician L'Hopital that I took in the Versailles Palace in France.
Photo Attribution:
Original Image: "Pythagorean Rooftops"
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/281272363_873302359a.jpg?v=0
By: mrjorgen
Released under an Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en
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