Pythagorean Theorem Utilized To Prove The Squareness of The Soccer Field

    This morning I pulled a small group of 5th graders. The problem presented was we wanted to make a perfect rectangle for our soccer field. According to the Pythagorean Theorem a squared + b squared = c squared. We measured two sides of the rectangle with a 100 foot tape measure.We used a square to line up the corners so we knew the angles were 90 degree right angles. The short side measured 60 feet. The long side measured 90 feet. We measured the diagonal and and got 108 feet. We made a chalk diagram and labeled the diagram. We used the Pythagorean Theorem to prove that the rectangle was square and set up the proper way. We talked about how this could be useful in other endeavors such as building structures.