Difference between revisions of "Right triangle"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
The analysis of ratios between sides of right triangles with hypotenuse = 1 is at the heart of [[trignometry]]. | The analysis of ratios between sides of right triangles with hypotenuse = 1 is at the heart of [[trignometry]]. | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
[[category:geometry]] | [[category:geometry]] | ||
Revision as of 01:22, June 22, 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.