Featured Resource: Constructions! More Constructions! And a Bonus!

Submitted by Cole Gailus

For this month’s featured resource, I would like to share two digital applications that center around constructions.


Euclidia is for those of you who love a good mathematical challenge. It is a game available for both Android and iOS in which you complete various constructions using a straight edge and compass. The more elegant your solution, the more stars you earn.  I particularly like the way the interface allows you to play with and test different approaches more quickly and easily than if you were using pencil and paper. Also, it is pretty cool that you can do constructions while waiting in line at the post office or hanging out by the pool!





The second resource is part of the ever-expanding universe of Desmos. Desmos Geometry is a wonderfully simple tool that allows students to explore and create dynamic constructions. Similarly to Euclidia, the interface reduces the heavy lifting of pencil and paper constructions. While it is good to expose students to constructions using an actual straight edge and compass, using Desmos Geometry is easier for students to play with which leads to more engagement and probably less of a risk of injury (some of those compasses are really pointy!).





Bonus resource: This bonus resource is not really in the same vein as the previous two, but I feel the compulsive need to tell everyone about it. When I taught Precalculus, I would scour the web for graphs to use in my lessons and was always frustrated when I couldn’t find exactly the graph that I wanted. GraphFree.com is the best graph generator that I have come across. It allows you to create a wide range of graphs and plots from number lines and basic functions to slope fields and parametric equations. If you teach any class that involves graphing of any sort, I recommend you check it out!


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