Name:_________________ Practice PBA Geometry: Similar Video Game Designs

SJUSD Accelerated Algebra 2 Unit 6 Assessment

Maria owns a video game shop and wants to display a wooden model of the design shown below to promote a
new video game. The design is made up of 4 congruent equilateral triangles. She wants the base to be 10 feet
Complete the following problems. You may use a scientific calculator and a ruler or straight
across.
edge. You may not use a graphing calculator. Show your process/work to receive full credit.
_______________________________________________________________________ _____

1. The terminal side of an angle q intersects the unit circle (r = 1) at the point P (x, y) as shown
below.

I. Her first step is to determine the dimensions of one the four triangles.
a) Calculate the width and height of one triangle below.

Width (x): _______ Height (y): ______

b) Explain how you got your answer from above.

a. Write x in terms of a trigonometric function involving q .

b. Write y in terms of a trigonometric function involving q .

c) What is the total height of the design?

c. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the right triangle in the diagram to come up with an
equation that involves trigonometric functions.

d. Divide your equation above by c o s 2 q to come up with a variation of the Pythagorean Identity.
Total Height of the Design: ______
d) Explain your Reasoning

Rubric Score

San José Unified School District Page 1 of 6

Maria was looking for alternate design ideas online and came across an image called the “Sierpinski
Triangle.” All of the triangles are equilateral triangles. She thought it was a pretty cool design and it made her
think of geometric similarity from her math class. Maria wants to use the Sierpinski triangle instead of her
original design. She still wants the base of the total design to be 10 feet. Calculate the height of each triangle in
the design . SJUSD Accelerated Algebra 2 Unit 6 Assessment

Complete the following problems. You may use a scientific calculator and a ruler or straight
edge. You may not use a graphing calculator. Show your process/work to receive full credit.
_______________________________________________________________________ _____

1. The terminal side of an angle q intersects the unit circle (r = 1) at the point P (x, y) as shown
below.

Height of the triangle labeled “A”:______

Height of one of the triangles labeled “B”:______

Height of one of the triangles labeled “C”:______

Maria decides
a. that
Writeshe
x inwants
terms to
of create a special
a trigonometric shieldinvolving
function as part ofq .the display. The shield is
formed by joining together six congruent equilateral triangles where each has a perimeter of 30
inches. Using geometry she calculates that the shield will be about 17.3 inches high and will
have a diagonal of exactly 20 inches. Explain how she got that result.
b. Write y in terms of a trigonometric function involving q .

c. Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the right triangle in the diagram to come up with an
equation that involves trigonometric functions.

d. Divide your equation above by c o s 2 q to come up with a variation of the Pythagorean Identity.

Rubric Score