Right triangle
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DanH (talk | contribs) at 01:22, June 22, 2007. It may differ significantly from current revision.
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.