Name________________________________
Class Period____________
AIR PHOTO & PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM LAB
This week, we will be looking at air photos and using ratio conversion with the Pythagorean
Theorem to determine real world measurements.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Tape your map to the center of your table.
2. Decide where you want to place your triangle, and then tape it to the air photo.
3. Tape the transparency grid paper on top of the triangle so that the triangle is in the center
of the grid, with both legs aligned to the grid so that you can easily create squares off of
the legs. (In other words, try to get the grid squares even and straight on the legs, so they
are easy to count and you don’t have any half squares.)
-What is the length of each part of the triangle in grid squares?
-Convert those cm. to meters using the 1 to 24 conversion ratio. Show work here: **Remember
from last week, there are at least three ways to convert ratios (scale factor – numerator to denominator, numerator to
numerator, and cross multiplication).
Short leg_________________
Longer Leg_______________
Hypotenuse_______________
4. Now, use your vis-à-vis marker to create a square on each side of the triangle.
5. Complete the table below for this triangle. Be sure to use correct labels on your
measurements.
6. When finished get different size triangle from Mrs. Bishop and repeat the above directions.
Location of
Air Photo
Area of Square Side length of
Area in
Measurement
triangle in
meters
Triangle #1
meters
Short leg of
right triangle
Long leg of
right triangle
Hypotenuse
of right
triangle
Location of
Triangle #2
Air Photo
Measurement
Area of Square
Side length of
triangle in
meters
Area in
meters
Short leg of
right triangle
Long leg of
right triangle
Hypotenuse
of right
triangle
What do you notice about the relationship between the area of the two legs and the area of the
hypotenuse (from the area of squares column)?
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What do you notice about the relationship between the meter length squared of the two legs and
the meter length squared of the hypotenuse (use the last column)?
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Author: Tiffany Bishop, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Fall 2010