The standard reads, “Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.” One of the examples given on Arizona’s standards document is, “Is it possible to draw a triangle with a 90˚ angle and one leg that is 4 inches long and one leg that is 3 inches long? If so, draw one. Is there more than one such triangle?” Multiple textbooks supposedly aligned to Common Core only give examples where three angle measures or three side lengths are given. Due to the fact that there are inconsistencies, we want to verify whether the state’s example aligns to Common Core’s intent.
We also had a question about the use of the word “constructing” in this standard. Are students required to construct triangles using a compass?