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The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

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If we stabilize one digit for every two iterations (which seemsto be the indication by Table 4.2), then it would take abouttwenty iterations to stabilize our approximation to ninedigits—a great closing challenge to the reader!---Our last topic in Section 4.4 is that of <strong>Pythagorean</strong>Spirals. More art than mathematics, <strong>Pythagorean</strong> Spiralsare created by joining a succession of right triangles asshown in Figure 4.19. All nine triangles have outer sidesequal in length. In addition, the longer non-hypotenuse sideof a larger triangle is equal to the hypotenuse of thepreceding triangle. <strong>The</strong> generator for the ‘spiraling seashell’in Figure 4.19 is an isosceles right triangle of side lengthone. As one might imagine, the stopping point is arbitrary.<strong>Pythagorean</strong> Spirals make great objects for computergraphics programs to generate where coloration and precisealignment can be brought into play. Give it a try using moresophisticated software than the Microsoft Word utility that Iused to generate the spiraling seashell. Enjoy!11Figure 4.19: <strong>Pythagorean</strong> Spiral165

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