Such a Tool

Ryan Byrd, University of Georgia


Geometry Sketch Pad is a powerful computer program on which rule and compass constructions can be done. Many times, however, after you have figured out how to do the construction you want to be able to use that result without going through the construction again again. For example, you may want to draw a segment and be able to immediately know where the midpoint is instead of drawing circles, finding their intersection points, making a perpendicular bisector and then finding the midpoint every single time. With Geometry Sketch Pad you can create tools, also know as scripts, to do just that. Click here for several common and useful GSP scripts. To get use a tool choose the bottom option on the verticle menu on the left hand side. Hold down the mouse bottom and drag the cursor to the tool that you want to use. Then start clicking appropriate places on the screen. If you are confused on how to use the tool or just want to see what went into the construction you can click "show script view". If you want to create you own tool do your construction, highlight everything on the screen and then choose "create new tool". Scripts are a wonderful time saver and a very important concept with which you should know how to work.

 

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