Exploring Triangle Inequality Theorem![]()
Do your 6th grade math students understand the Triangle Inequality Theorem? Do they know what that is?
Mine did not, and although we're trying to get through quite a bit of material before our state testing, we took some time today to explore triangles and the discuss the triangle inequality theorem. Maybe you've done this exploration already, but it was quick and fun, so I thought I'd share:) The goal of the activity is to help students discover that not all line segments can meet to form a triangle. Discovering Triangle Inequality Theorem
Without explaining triangle inequality to my math students, I gave each group three straws I had cut to different lengths and asked them to use their straws to make a triangle.
Next I gave the groups a new set of straws that were cut to 3 inches, 3 inches, 5 inches. In this case, they were excited to make their triangles in about 30 seconds! We then discussed why the 3, 2, 5 didn't work and worked our way to "creating" the triangle inequality "rule." Lesson Adjustment![]()
For my next math classes, I trimmed the 3-inch straws to 2 inches, so these classes would have more difficulty getting the ends to meet. It was so funny to hear their comments:
And then, their excitement when they made the 3, 3, 5 triangle, and their exclamations of "We did it first," was great to hear! Again, we discussed the idea that the sum of the two smaller sides of a triangle must be greater than the longest side. Students then applied the Triangle Inequality Theorem to their homework:-) Resources to practice other triangle concepts:To Read Next:
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AuthorHey there! I'm Ellie - here to share math fun, best practices, and engaging, challenging, easy-prep activities ideas! Archives
March 2021
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