The Toolbox
The toolbox, which is the column on the left of the screen, contains several tools that are frequently used in geometric constructions in GSP (selection, dragging, ruler, compass, labels, etc.). An arrow pointing to the right, as before, indicates that there are more commands inside it. If you point at a tool with the mouse, you will notice that its name appears next to it, and what it is used for appears in the left bottom corner of the document. This last statement applies to any GSP command. For instance, Figure 3 shows the STRAIGHTEDGE TOOL, which is used to construct segments, rays, and lines (see bottom left corner of the sketch on your computer). Each of these tools is available until you select (click on) a different tool. We will introduce each of them as needed. (Note: If you have two buttons on your mouse, 'click' means 'click the left mouse button'.)
Figure 3
To develop the features of GSP, we will use a sequence of examples. Each example will introduce a different feature of the software in the context of constructing a geometric figure.