Copy of The Pythagorean Theorem.
This is an animation of the first Proof Without Words ever to appear in the Mathematical Association of America's Mathematics Magazine. The official citation is Isaacs, Rufus, "Two Mathematical Papers without Words", Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Sep., 1975), p. 198.
Some exercises for students:
- State the Pythagorean Theorem.
- Explain the construction of the diagram and how the animation proves the theorem.
- How general is this? Is it a convincing proof?
- How do you know that the quadrilateral with side length at the end of the animation is a square?
- Explain the importance of translations in this "proof".