MPM2D Improving your skills; Systems practice – 2015-10-26

I handed back that quiz from Friday, and I made some suggestions for improvement in a number of areas. Here are a few.

Graphing

• label your x- and y-axes, including arrows on the ends
• include a scale, to the left of the y-axis and below the x-axis

Finding Midpoint

• use parentheses around the point’s coordinates, like $(5,2)$
• use equals signs as you simplify the coordinates, like $(\frac{3+2}{2} , \frac{4-2}{2} ) = (\frac{5}{2} , 1)$

Finding Length

• extend the root sign over the entire expression, like $\sqrt{(x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2}$
• be careful matching brackets, and use square brackets if necessary: $(5-[-2])$
• don’t lose your negative sign too early: $(-5-2)^2=(-7)^2$, not yet $7^2$

Finding the Perpendicular Bisector

• label your slopes and equations clearly, using words if necessary
• when finding a negative reciprocal, change the sign (don’t just move it to the denominator!)
• lots of people found the slope, but didn’t find the equation.

The Triangle Question

• explain how to solve the problem in steps
• measuring is not the same as calculating

Homework

Here’s your homework for tonight: MPM2D Practice – graph, solve