Archimedes with Cabri: Visualization and Experimental Verification of Mathematical Ideas

This column will publish short (from just a few paragraphs to ten or so pages), lively and intriguing computer-related mathematics vignettes. These vignettes or snapshots should illustrate ways in which computer environments have transformed the practice of mathematics or mathematics pedagogy. They could also include puzzles or brain-teasers involving the use of computers or computational theory. Snapshots are subject to peer review. This snapshot explores a classic geometry theorem of Archimedes. The author shows how the use of a dynamic geometry environment can deepen and guide the process of proof. The Cabri environment enabled exploration in a new way that connected steps in the proof to geometric properties and intuitions that served as a foundation for deductive reasoning. Computer Math Snapshots Editor: Uri Wilensky , Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling Northwestern University, USA E-mail: uri@northwestern.edu