Reflecting on Symmetry: Geometry

Perhaps the most important theorem a high school student encounters in mathematics is the Perpendicular Bisector Theorem (PBT). At some deep level, this theorem is about symmetry, and that will be the topic of this course. We will examine symmetry through a series of hands-on activities culminating with the PBT and then see what lies beyond. We will develop PBT through constructions, paper folding, and geometric software; we will explore transformations including reflections, rotations, and translations. We will also study symmetry in art, architecture and biology. Coordinate geometry is an important place to apply what we have learned drawing pictures to an analytical setting.