Construct Menu

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Construct Menu

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The Construct menu provides commands for accomplishing many important geometric constructions. Most of these constructions could also be done with Sketchpad’s Compass and Straightedge tools, but the Construct menu often provides simpler and quicker ways of completing a construction.

LocusInteriorArc through 3 PointsArc on CircleCircle by Center+RadiusAngle BisectorCircle by Center+PointPerpendicular LineParallel LineLineRaySegmentIntersectionMidpointPoint on Object

Click the name of any command in the menu to see detailed information about that command.

 

To use any Construct menu command, you must select the appropriate objects (the prerequisites) in the sketch.

If a command you want to use is unavailable, you might have too few or too many objects selected. Check the list of prerequisites below, and check the status line to make sure you don't have extra unnoticed objects selected. Then select additional required objects or deselect unwanted objects. Alternatively, deselect all objects and then carefully select the appropriate prerequisites.

Command:

Prerequisites:

Point on Object

One or more path objects

Midpoint

One or more segments

Intersection

Two segments, rays, lines, circles, or arcs

One locus or function plot and one segment, ray, line, circle, or arc

Two function plots

One polygon and one ray (command becomes First Intersection)

Segment, Ray, and Line

Two or more points

Parallel Line

One point and one segment, ray, or line

Multiple points and one segment, ray, or line

One point and multiple segments, rays, or lines

Perpendicular Line

One point and one segment, ray, or line

Multiple points and one segment, ray, or line

One point and multiple segments, rays, or lines

Angle Bisector

Three points, with the vertex point selected second

Two rays or segments with a common endpoint

Circle by Center+Point

Two points

Circle by Center+Radius

One point and one segment or distance value

Multiple points and one segment or distance value

One point and multiple segments and/or distance values

Arc on Circle

One circle and two points on the circle

One center point and two other points equally distant from the center point

Arc through 3 Points

Three noncollinear (noncollinear points do not lie in a straight line) points

Polygon Interior

Three or more points

Circle Interior

One or more circles

Arc Sector Interior

One or more arcs

Arc Segment Interior

One or more arcs

Locus

One point on a path and one object that depends on the point on path

One parameter and one object that depends on the parameter

One independent point, one path that does not depend on the point, and one object that depends on the independent point