Example 4

A right triangle is defined as a triangle with 2 sides that are perpendicular. Triangle [math]ABC[/math] has vertices [math]A (–4, 8)[/math], [math]B (–1, 2)[/math], and [math]C (7, 6)[/math]. Determine if this triangle is a right triangle. When disproving a figure, you only need to show one condition is not met. [i]Note[/i]: Drag points [math]A[/math], [math]B[/math], and [math]C[/math] to try different figures.

[list=1] [*]Plot the triangle on a coordinate plane. [*]Calculate the slope of each side using the general slope formula. [*]Observe the slope of each side. [*]Make connections. [/list] This applet is provided by Walch Education as supplemental material for their mathematics programs. Visit [url="http://www.walch.com"]www.walch.com[/url] for more information on their resources.