PYTHAGORAS PAPER ASSIGNMENT 2009                       20 points, due Thursday February 8

Improving your proof skills is one of the major goals of this course. As a beginning step, you are to find two different proofs of the famous Pythagorean Theorem and write presentations of these proofs in your own words. Make your presentations clear, concise, and above all correct. Include accurate and informative diagrams, properly labeled. Hundreds of proofs are known for the Pythagorean Theorem; pick two that you particularly like.

This is to be your own work. However, I encourage you to talk to others, especially to me, as you work on these proofs. The conversations will help you present better proofs.

GRADING RUBRIC FOR PROOFS

SCORE

Description

10 / 10

·        The theorem is clearly stated.

·        The logic is correct.

·        Diagrams are accurate and are clearly labeled.

·        The proof is complete: all cases have been examined, all significant steps have been justified, all assumptions have been clearly stated.

·        The proof is clearly explained.

·        The proof is well organized.

8 / 10

·        The theorem is stated.

·        The logic is correct.

·        Diagrams are accurate and are labeled.

·        The proof is complete: all cases have been examined, all significant steps have been justified, assumptions have been stated.

·        Some portion of the proof is not clearly explained.

·        The proof is well organized.

6 / 10

·        The theorem is stated.

·        There is a flaw in the logic.

·        Diagrams are accurate.

·        Some portion of the proof is missing: a case that has not been examined, a significant step that has not been justified, an assumption that has not been stated.

·        Some portion of the proof is not clearly explained.

·        There are troubles with organization.

5 / 10

·        The statement of the theorem is unclear.

·        The logic has a serious flaw or more than one flaw.

·        Diagrams are not accurate.

·        Some portion of the proof is missing: a case that has not been examined, a significant step that has not been justified, assumptions that have not been stated.

·        The proof is not clearly explained.

·        The proof is poorly organized.

0 / 10

·        No proof is submitted.