Nathan draws a triangle on the coordinate grid. He marks his points at (1,5) , (4,1) , and (−4,−5) . What is the perimeter of the triangle, rounded to the nearest tenth of a unit? Show all steps that Nathan must take to find the solution.(4 points)

summarize

3 answers

To find the perimeter of the triangle formed by the points (1, 5), (4, 1), and (-4, -5), Nathan needs to calculate the lengths of each side of the triangle using the distance formula.

Step 1: Identify the Points

Label the points as follows:

  • Point A = (1, 5)
  • Point B = (4, 1)
  • Point C = (-4, -5)

Step 2: Calculate the Lengths of Each Side

Use the distance formula, which is given by: \[ d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2} \]

Length of Side AB

\[ AB = \sqrt{(4 - 1)^2 + (1 - 5)^2} = \sqrt{(3)^2 + (-4)^2} = \sqrt{9 + 16} = \sqrt{25} = 5 \]

Length of Side BC

\[ BC = \sqrt{(-4 - 4)^2 + (-5 - 1)^2} = \sqrt{(-8)^2 + (-6)^2} = \sqrt{64 + 36} = \sqrt{100} = 10 \]

Length of Side CA

\[ CA = \sqrt{(1 - (-4))^2 + (5 - (-5))^2} = \sqrt{(1 + 4)^2 + (5 + 5)^2} = \sqrt{(5)^2 + (10)^2} = \sqrt{25 + 100} = \sqrt{125} = 5\sqrt{5} \approx 11.2 \]

Step 3: Calculate the Perimeter

Add the lengths of all sides to find the perimeter: \[ \text{Perimeter} = AB + BC + CA = 5 + 10 + 5\sqrt{5} \] Using \( \sqrt{5} \approx 2.236 \): \[ 5\sqrt{5} \approx 5 \times 2.236 \approx 11.18 \] Now, add the lengths together: \[ \text{Perimeter} \approx 5 + 10 + 11.18 \approx 26.18 \]

Step 4: Round to the Nearest Tenth

After rounding: \[ \text{Perimeter} \approx 26.2 \]

Summary

Nathan calculates the perimeter of the triangle with vertices at (1,5), (4,1), and (-4,-5) to be approximately 26.2 units by summing the lengths of the sides AB (5), BC (10), and CA (approximately 11.2).

How did you get 2.236

To clarify, 2.236 is an approximation of the square root of 5 (\(\sqrt{5}\)). This approximation is approximately 2.236067977 when computed more precisely.

Here's how you can arrive at the value:

Calculation of \(\sqrt{5}\)

  1. Estimate the value:

    • We know that \(2^2 = 4\) and \(3^2 = 9\), so \(\sqrt{5}\) must be between 2 and 3.
  2. Refine the estimate:

    • A more refined approximation can be done using decimals. We can try 2.2 and 2.3:
      • \(2.2^2 = 4.84\)
      • \(2.3^2 = 5.29\)
    • Since \(4.84 < 5 < 5.29\), we know \(\sqrt{5}\) is between 2.2 and 2.3.
  3. Finding a better approximation:

    • Testing further, you can check:
      • \(2.24^2 = 5.0176\) (too high)
      • \(2.23^2 = 4.9729\) (too low)
    • This indicates that \(\sqrt{5}\) is close to 2.236.
  4. Using a calculator:

    • If you have access to a calculator, you can directly compute \(\sqrt{5}\) to achieve a more precise value of approximately 2.236067977.

Conclusion

The value of \(\sqrt{5} \approx 2.236\) is commonly used in calculations for convenience and is an accurate enough estimate for most purposes when rounded. Therefore, when calculating \(5\sqrt{5}\), you multiply 5 by this approximation, yielding a value around 11.18, which was then rounded to approximately 11.2 for the perimeter calculation of the triangle.