The Geometer's Sketchpad
The Geometer's Sketchpad is a commercial interactive geometry software program for exploring Euclidean geometry, algebra, calculus, and other areas of mathematics. It was created as part of the NSF-funded Visual Geometry Project led by Eugene Klotz and Doris Schattschneider from 1986-1991 at Swarthmore College.[1] Nicholas Jackiw, a student at the outset, was the lead creator and programmer, and joined Key Curriculum Press (later KCP Technologies) to continue to improve the program after it was launched commercially. It is designed to run on Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later and Mac OS 8.6 or later (including Mac OS X). It also runs on Linux under Wine with a few bugs.[2] A new 64-bit version of Mac Sketchpad is available as part of an ongoing beta test.
 Sketchpad 5 | |
| Developer(s) | KCP Technologies |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 5.06
/ April 26, 2013 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X, Windows, Linux (under Wine) |
| Type | Interactive geometry software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Features
Geometer's Sketchpad includes the traditional Euclidean tools of classical geometric constructions. It also can perform transformations (translations, rotations, reflections, dilations) of geometric figures drawn or constructed on screen. It is far more than a construction or transformation tool, however. It can manipulate constructed objects "dynamically" by stretching or dragging while maintaining all constraints of the construction so that a seemingly infinite number of cases of a constructed figure can be viewed. Thus it is a natural tool for making or testing conjectures about geometric figures. Its accurate drawings of geometric figures make it a useful tool for illustrating mathematical articles for publication. If a figure (such as the pentadecagon) can be constructed with the compass and straightedge method, it can also be constructed in the program. The program allows "cheat" transformations to create figures impossible to construct under the compass and straightedge rules (such as the regular nonagon). Objects can be animated.
The program allows the creation of numerous objects which can be measured, and potentially used to solve hard math problems. The program allows the determination of the midpoints and midsegments of objects. Geometer's Sketchpad can measure lengths of segments, measures of angles, area, perimeter, etc. Some of the tools include a construct function, which allows the user to create objects in relation to selected objects. The transform function allows the user to create points in relation to objects, which include distance, angle, ratio, and others.[3]
References
- Scher, Daniel. Lifting the Curtain: The Evolution of The Geometer's Sketchpad Mathematics Educator, v10 n 2 pp 42–48 Sum 2000
- WineHQ AppDB gold rating, GSP version 4.061
- Geometry Turned On: Dynamic Software in Learning, Teaching, and Research, James King and Doris Schatschneider, eds., Math. Assoc. of Amer., 1997.
Further reading
- Kimberling, Clark. Geometry in Action: A Discovery Approach Using The Geometer's Sketchpad. Key College Publishing, Emeryville, California, (2003), ISBN 1-931914-02-8.