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#1 2008-04-16 15:29:42
- stellina91
- Member
- Registered: 2008-04-15
- Posts: 12
Pythagoras' Theorem Triangle Help!
Write down the altitude in the special case where s=2b.
What type of triangle is this and what is its area?
Please help. Thanks.;)
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#2 2008-04-16 15:47:14
- SvenBee
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- Registered: 2008-03-08
- Posts: 106
Re: Pythagoras' Theorem Triangle Help!
If s=2b the you're sides are (2b), (2b), and (2b). So if all the sides are equal then the triangle is an equilateral triangle. And the area is half of base times height. In this case though the base is already split into two equal parts (b) so the area is b times a (since b is exactly half of the total base). 
Hope this helped.
e...the red-headed stepchild of math.
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#3 2008-04-16 15:55:02
- stellina91
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- Registered: 2008-04-15
- Posts: 12
Re: Pythagoras' Theorem Triangle Help!
Hi,
Thanks very much for your help.
The answer I have been given says that a = b x root 3 and the area = b^2 x root 3.
I am unsure of how they got this answer.:/
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#4 2008-04-17 03:25:03
- mathsyperson
- Moderator
- Registered: 2005-06-22
- Posts: 4,900
Re: Pythagoras' Theorem Triangle Help!
You can find a by noting that it is a short side of a right-angled triangle (hald of the whole one). The other short side is a and the hypotenuse is s = 2b.
a is also the height of the whole triangle, after getting a you can find its area by 1/2 x base x height.
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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