Difference between revisions of "Right triangle"
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[[Image:Rtriangle.svg|thumb|A typical right triangle]] | [[Image:Rtriangle.svg|thumb|A typical right triangle]] | ||
| − | A right triangle has three sides and an angle that equals 90º. | + | A '''right triangle''' has three sides and an angle that equals 90º. |
The general right triangle is the subject of one of the more famous mathematical ideas, the [[Pythagorean Theorem]]. It states that the sum of the squares on the legs (short sides) of a right triangle is equal to the square on the hypotenuse (the long side, opposite the right angle). Using the figure to the right, this means: | The general right triangle is the subject of one of the more famous mathematical ideas, the [[Pythagorean Theorem]]. It states that the sum of the squares on the legs (short sides) of a right triangle is equal to the square on the hypotenuse (the long side, opposite the right angle). Using the figure to the right, this means: | ||
Revision as of 12:27, May 14, 2007
A right triangle has three sides and an angle that equals 90º.
The general right triangle is the subject of one of the more famous mathematical ideas, the Pythagorean Theorem. It states that the sum of the squares on the legs (short sides) of a right triangle is equal to the square on the hypotenuse (the long side, opposite the right angle). Using the figure to the right, this means:
- <math>a^2 + b^2 = c^2</math>
The analysis of ratios between sides of right triangles with hypotenuse = 1 is at the heart of trignometry.