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Isosceles triangle

In geometry, an isosceles triangle (/ˈsɒsəlz/) is a triangle that has two sides of equal length. Sometimes it is specified as having exactly two sides of equal length, and sometimes as having at least two sides of equal length, the latter version thus including the equilateral triangle as a special case. Examples of isosceles triangles include the isosceles right triangle, the golden triangle, and the faces of bipyramids and certain Catalan solids.

Isosceles triangle
Isosceles triangle with vertical axis of symmetry
Typetriangle
Edges and vertices3
Schläfli symbol( ) ∨ { }
Symmetry groupDih2, [ ], (*), order 2
Propertiesconvex, cyclic
Dual polygonSelf-dual

The mathematical study of isosceles triangles dates back to ancient Egyptian mathematics and Babylonian mathematics. Isosceles triangles have been used as decoration from even earlier times, and appear frequently in architecture and design, for instance in the pediments and gables of buildings.

The two equal sides are called the legs and the third side is called the base of the triangle. The other dimensions of the triangle, such as its height, area, and perimeter, can be calculated by simple formulas from the lengths of the legs and base. Every isosceles triangle has an axis of symmetry along the perpendicular bisector of its base. The two angles opposite the legs are equal and are always acute, so the classification of the triangle as acute, right, or obtuse depends only on the angle between its two legs.

Terminology, classification, and examples

Euclid defined an isosceles triangle as a triangle with exactly two equal sides,[1] but modern treatments prefer to define isosceles triangles as having at least two equal sides. The difference between these two definitions is that the modern version makes equilateral triangles (with three equal sides) a special case of isosceles triangles.[2] A triangle that is not isosceles (having three unequal sides) is called scalene.[3] "Isosceles" is made from the Greek roots "isos" (equal) and "skelos" (leg). The same word is used, for instance, for isosceles trapezoids, trapezoids with two equal sides,[4] and for isosceles sets, sets of points every three of which form an isosceles triangle.[5]

In an isosceles triangle that has exactly two equal sides, the equal sides are called legs and the third side is called the base. The angle included by the legs is called the vertex angle and the angles that have the base as one of their sides are called the base angles.[6] The vertex opposite the base is called the apex.[7] In the equilateral triangle case, since all sides are equal, any side can be called the base.[8]

Special isosceles triangles
 
Three congruent inscribed squares in the Calabi triangle
 
A golden triangle subdivided into a smaller golden triangle and golden gnomon

Whether an isosceles triangle is acute, right or obtuse depends only on the angle at its apex. In Euclidean geometry, the base angles can not be obtuse (greater than 90°) or right (equal to 90°) because their measures would sum to at least 180°, the total of all angles in any Euclidean triangle.[8] Since a triangle is obtuse or right if and only if one of its angles is obtuse or right, respectively, an isosceles triangle is obtuse, right or acute if and only if its apex angle is respectively obtuse, right or acute.[7] In Edwin Abbott's book Flatland, this classification of shapes was used as a satire of social hierarchy: isosceles triangles represented the working class, with acute isosceles triangles higher in the hierarchy than right or obtuse isosceles triangles.[9]

As well as the isosceles right triangle, several other specific shapes of isosceles triangles have been studied. These include the Calabi triangle (a triangle with three congruent inscribed squares),[10] the golden triangle and golden gnomon (two isosceles triangles whose sides and base are in the golden ratio),[11] the 80-80-20 triangle appearing in the Langley's Adventitious Angles puzzle,[12] and the 30-30-120 triangle of the triakis triangular tiling. Five Catalan solids, the triakis tetrahedron, triakis octahedron, tetrakis hexahedron, pentakis dodecahedron, and triakis icosahedron, each have isosceles-triangle faces, as do infinitely many pyramids[8] and bipyramids.[13]

Formulas

Height

For any isosceles triangle, the following six line segments coincide:

Their common length is the height   of the triangle. If the triangle has equal sides of length   and base of length  , the general triangle formulas for the lengths of these segments all simplify to[16]

 

This formula can also be derived from the Pythagorean theorem using the fact that the altitude bisects the base and partitions the isosceles triangle into two congruent right triangles.[17]

The Euler line of any triangle goes through the triangle's orthocenter (the intersection of its three altitudes), its centroid (the intersection of its three medians), and its circumcenter (the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of its three sides, which is also the center of the circumcircle that passes through the three vertices). In an isosceles triangle with exactly two equal sides, these three points are distinct, and (by symmetry) all lie on the symmetry axis of the triangle, from which it follows that the Euler line coincides with the axis of symmetry. The incenter of the triangle also lies on the Euler line, something that is not true for other triangles.[15] If any two of an angle bisector, median, or altitude coincide in a given triangle, that triangle must be isosceles.[18]

Area

The area   of an isosceles triangle can be derived from the formula for its height, and from the general formula for the area of a triangle as half the product of base and height:[16]

 

The same area formula can also be derived from Heron's formula for the area of a triangle from its three sides. However, applying Heron's formula directly can be numerically unstable for isosceles triangles with very sharp angles, because of the near-cancellation between the semiperimeter and side length in those triangles.[19]

If the apex angle   and leg lengths   of an isosceles triangle are known, then the area of that triangle is:[20]

 

This is a special case of the general formula for the area of a triangle as half the product of two sides times the sine of the included angle.[21]

Perimeter

The perimeter   of an isosceles triangle with equal sides   and base   is just[16]

 

As in any triangle, the area   and perimeter   are related by the isoperimetric inequality[22]

 

This is a strict inequality for isosceles triangles with sides unequal to the base, and becomes an equality for the equilateral triangle. The area, perimeter, and base can also be related to each other by the equation[23]

 

If the base and perimeter are fixed, then this formula determines the area of the resulting isosceles triangle, which is the maximum possible among all triangles with the same base and perimeter.[24] On the other hand, if the area and perimeter are fixed, this formula can be used to recover the base length, but not uniquely: there are in general two distinct isosceles triangles with given area   and perimeter  . When the isoperimetric inequality becomes an equality, there is only one such triangle, which is equilateral.[25]

Angle bisector length

If the two equal sides have length   and the other side has length  , then the internal angle bisector   from one of the two equal-angled vertices satisfies[26]

 

as well as

 

and conversely, if the latter condition holds, an isosceles triangle parametrized by   and   exists.[27]

The Steiner–Lehmus theorem states that every triangle with two angle bisectors of equal lengths is isosceles. It was formulated in 1840 by C. L. Lehmus. Its other namesake, Jakob Steiner, was one of the first to provide a solution.[28] Although originally formulated only for internal angle bisectors, it works for many (but not all) cases when, instead, two external angle bisectors are equal. The 30-30-120 isosceles triangle makes a boundary case for this variation of the theorem, as it has four equal angle bisectors (two internal, two external).[29]

Radii

 
Isosceles triangle showing its circumcenter (blue), centroid (red), incenter (green), and symmetry axis (purple)

The inradius and circumradius formulas for an isosceles triangle may be derived from their formulas for arbitrary triangles.[30] The radius of the inscribed circle of an isosceles triangle with side length  , base  , and height   is:[16]

 

The center of the circle lies on the symmetry axis of the triangle, this distance above the base. An isosceles triangle has the largest possible inscribed circle among the triangles with the same base and apex angle, as well as also having the largest area and perimeter among the same class of triangles.[31]

The radius of the circumscribed circle is:[16]

 

The center of the circle lies on the symmetry axis of the triangle, this distance below the apex.

Inscribed square

For any isosceles triangle, there is a unique square with one side collinear with the base of the triangle and the opposite two corners on its sides. The Calabi triangle is a special isosceles triangle with the property that the other two inscribed squares, with sides collinear with the sides of the triangle, are of the same size as the base square.[10] A much older theorem, preserved in the works of Hero of Alexandria, states that, for an isosceles triangle with base   and height  , the side length of the inscribed square on the base of the triangle is[32]

 

Isosceles subdivision of other shapes

 
Partition of a cyclic pentagon into isosceles triangles by radii of its circumcircle

For any integer  , any triangle can be partitioned into   isosceles triangles.[33] In a right triangle, the median from the hypotenuse (that is, the line segment from the midpoint of the hypotenuse to the right-angled vertex) divides the right triangle into two isosceles triangles. This is because the midpoint of the hypotenuse is the center of the circumcircle of the right triangle, and each of the two triangles created by the partition has two equal radii as two of its sides.[34] Similarly, an acute triangle can be partitioned into three isosceles triangles by segments from its circumcenter,[35] but this method does not work for obtuse triangles, because the circumcenter lies outside the triangle.[30]

Generalizing the partition of an acute triangle, any cyclic polygon that contains the center of its circumscribed circle can be partitioned into isosceles triangles by the radii of this circle through its vertices. The fact that all radii of a circle have equal length implies that all of these triangles are isosceles. This partition can be used to derive a formula for the area of the polygon as a function of its side lengths, even for cyclic polygons that do not contain their circumcenters. This formula generalizes Heron's formula for triangles and Brahmagupta's formula for cyclic quadrilaterals.[36]

Either diagonal of a rhombus divides it into two congruent isosceles triangles. Similarly, one of the two diagonals of a kite divides it into two isosceles triangles, which are not congruent except when the kite is a rhombus.[37]

Applications

In architecture and design

 
Obtuse isosceles pediment of the Pantheon, Rome
 
Acute isosceles gable over the Saint-Etienne portal, Notre-Dame de Paris

Isosceles triangles commonly appear in architecture as the shapes of gables and pediments. In ancient Greek architecture and its later imitations, the obtuse isosceles triangle was used; in Gothic architecture this was replaced by the acute isosceles triangle.[8]

In the architecture of the Middle Ages, another isosceles triangle shape became popular: the Egyptian isosceles triangle. This is an isosceles triangle that is acute, but less so than the equilateral triangle; its height is proportional to 5/8 of its base.[38] The Egyptian isosceles triangle was brought back into use in modern architecture by Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.[39]

 
Detailed view of a modified Warren truss with verticals

Warren truss structures, such as bridges, are commonly arranged in isosceles triangles, although sometimes vertical beams are also included for additional strength.[40] Surfaces tessellated by obtuse isosceles triangles can be used to form deployable structures that have two stable states: an unfolded state in which the surface expands to a cylindrical column, and a folded state in which it folds into a more compact prism shape that can be more easily transported.[41] The same tessellation pattern forms the basis of Yoshimura buckling, a pattern formed when cylindrical surfaces are axially compressed,[42] and of the Schwarz lantern, an example used in mathematics to show that the area of a smooth surface cannot always be accurately approximated by polyhedra converging to the surface.[43]

In graphic design and the decorative arts, isosceles triangles have been a frequent design element in cultures around the world from at least the Early Neolithic[44] to modern times.[45] They are a common design element in flags and heraldry, appearing prominently with a vertical base, for instance, in the flag of Guyana, or with a horizontal base in the flag of Saint Lucia, where they form a stylized image of a mountain island.[46]

They also have been used in designs with religious or mystic significance, for instance in the Sri Yantra of Hindu meditational practice.[47]

In other areas of mathematics

If a cubic equation with real coefficients has three roots that are not all real numbers, then when these roots are plotted in the complex plane as an Argand diagram they form vertices of an isosceles triangle whose axis of symmetry coincides with the horizontal (real) axis. This is because the complex roots are complex conjugates and hence are symmetric about the real axis.[48]

In celestial mechanics, the three-body problem has been studied in the special case that the three bodies form an isosceles triangle, because assuming that the bodies are arranged in this way reduces the number of degrees of freedom of the system without reducing it to the solved Lagrangian point case when the bodies form an equilateral triangle. The first instances of the three-body problem shown to have unbounded oscillations were in the isosceles three-body problem.[49]

History and fallacies

Long before isosceles triangles were studied by the ancient Greek mathematicians, the practitioners of Ancient Egyptian mathematics and Babylonian mathematics knew how to calculate their area. Problems of this type are included in the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus and Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.[50]

The theorem that the base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal appears as Proposition I.5 in Euclid.[51] This result has been called the pons asinorum (the bridge of asses) or the isosceles triangle theorem. Rival explanations for this name include the theory that it is because the diagram used by Euclid in his demonstration of the result resembles a bridge, or because this is the first difficult result in Euclid, and acts to separate those who can understand Euclid's geometry from those who cannot.[52]

A well-known fallacy is the false proof of the statement that all triangles are isosceles. Robin Wilson credits this argument to Lewis Carroll,[53] who published it in 1899, but W. W. Rouse Ball published it in 1892 and later wrote that Carroll obtained the argument from him.[54] The fallacy is rooted in Euclid's lack of recognition of the concept of betweenness and the resulting ambiguity of inside versus outside of figures.[55]

Notes

  1. ^ Heath (1956), p. 187, Definition 20.
  2. ^ Stahl (2003), p. 37.
  3. ^ Usiskin & Griffin (2008), p. 4.
  4. ^ Usiskin & Griffin (2008), p. 41.
  5. ^ Ionin (2009).
  6. ^ Jacobs (1974), p. 144.
  7. ^ a b Gottschau, Haverkort & Matzke (2018).
  8. ^ a b c d Lardner (1840), p. 46.
  9. ^ Barnes (2012).
  10. ^ a b Conway & Guy (1996).
  11. ^ Loeb (1992).
  12. ^ Langley (1922).
  13. ^ Montroll (2009).
  14. ^ a b c d e Hadamard (2008), p. 23.
  15. ^ a b Guinand (1984).
  16. ^ a b c d e Harris & Stöcker (1998), p. 78.
  17. ^ Salvadori & Wright (1998).
  18. ^ Hadamard (2008), Exercise 5, p. 29.
  19. ^ Kahan (2014).
  20. ^ Young (2011), p. 298.
  21. ^ Young (2011), p. 398.
  22. ^ Alsina & Nelsen (2009), p. 71.
  23. ^ Baloglou & Helfgott (2008), Equation (1).
  24. ^ Wickelgren (2012).
  25. ^ Baloglou & Helfgott (2008), Theorem 2.
  26. ^ Arslanagić.
  27. ^ Oxman (2005).
  28. ^ Gilbert & MacDonnell (1963).
  29. ^ Conway & Ryba (2014).
  30. ^ a b Harris & Stöcker (1998), p. 75.
  31. ^ Alsina & Nelsen (2009), p. 67.
  32. ^ Gandz (1940).
  33. ^ Lord (1982). See also Hadamard (2008, Exercise 340, p. 270).
  34. ^ Posamentier & Lehmann (2012), p. 24.
  35. ^ Bezdek & Bisztriczky (2015).
  36. ^ Robbins (1995).
  37. ^ Usiskin & Griffin (2008), p. 51.
  38. ^ Lavedan (1947).
  39. ^ Padovan (2002).
  40. ^ Ketchum (1920).
  41. ^ Pellegrino (2002).
  42. ^ Yoshimura (1955).
  43. ^ Schwarz (1890).
  44. ^ Washburn (1984).
  45. ^ Jakway (1922).
  46. ^ Smith (2014).
  47. ^ Bolton, Nicol & Macleod (1977).
  48. ^ Bardell (2016).
  49. ^ Diacu & Holmes (1999).
  50. ^ Høyrup (2008). Although "many of the early Egyptologists" believed that the Egyptians used an inexact formula for the area, half the product of the base and side, Vasily Vasilievich Struve championed the view that they used the correct formula, half the product of the base and height (Clagett 1989). This question rests on the translation of one of the words in the Rhind papyrus, and with this word translated as height (or more precisely as the ratio of height to base) the formula is correct (Gunn & Peet 1929, pp. 173–174).
  51. ^ Heath (1956), p. 251.
  52. ^ Venema (2006), p. 89.
  53. ^ Wilson (2008).
  54. ^ Ball & Coxeter (1987).
  55. ^ Specht et al. (2015).

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External links

isosceles, triangle, isosceles, redirects, here, other, uses, isosceles, disambiguation, geometry, isosceles, triangle, triangle, that, sides, equal, length, sometimes, specified, having, exactly, sides, equal, length, sometimes, having, least, sides, equal, l. Isosceles redirects here For other uses see Isosceles disambiguation In geometry an isosceles triangle aɪ ˈ s ɒ s e l iː z is a triangle that has two sides of equal length Sometimes it is specified as having exactly two sides of equal length and sometimes as having at least two sides of equal length the latter version thus including the equilateral triangle as a special case Examples of isosceles triangles include the isosceles right triangle the golden triangle and the faces of bipyramids and certain Catalan solids Isosceles triangleIsosceles triangle with vertical axis of symmetryTypetriangleEdges and vertices3Schlafli symbol Symmetry groupDih2 order 2Propertiesconvex cyclicDual polygonSelf dualThe mathematical study of isosceles triangles dates back to ancient Egyptian mathematics and Babylonian mathematics Isosceles triangles have been used as decoration from even earlier times and appear frequently in architecture and design for instance in the pediments and gables of buildings The two equal sides are called the legs and the third side is called the base of the triangle The other dimensions of the triangle such as its height area and perimeter can be calculated by simple formulas from the lengths of the legs and base Every isosceles triangle has an axis of symmetry along the perpendicular bisector of its base The two angles opposite the legs are equal and are always acute so the classification of the triangle as acute right or obtuse depends only on the angle between its two legs Contents 1 Terminology classification and examples 2 Formulas 2 1 Height 2 2 Area 2 3 Perimeter 2 4 Angle bisector length 2 5 Radii 2 6 Inscribed square 3 Isosceles subdivision of other shapes 4 Applications 4 1 In architecture and design 4 2 In other areas of mathematics 5 History and fallacies 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksTerminology classification and examples EditEuclid defined an isosceles triangle as a triangle with exactly two equal sides 1 but modern treatments prefer to define isosceles triangles as having at least two equal sides The difference between these two definitions is that the modern version makes equilateral triangles with three equal sides a special case of isosceles triangles 2 A triangle that is not isosceles having three unequal sides is called scalene 3 Isosceles is made from the Greek roots isos equal and skelos leg The same word is used for instance for isosceles trapezoids trapezoids with two equal sides 4 and for isosceles sets sets of points every three of which form an isosceles triangle 5 In an isosceles triangle that has exactly two equal sides the equal sides are called legs and the third side is called the base The angle included by the legs is called the vertex angle and the angles that have the base as one of their sides are called the base angles 6 The vertex opposite the base is called the apex 7 In the equilateral triangle case since all sides are equal any side can be called the base 8 Special isosceles triangles Isosceles right triangle Three congruent inscribed squares in the Calabi triangle A golden triangle subdivided into a smaller golden triangle and golden gnomon The triakis triangular tiling Catalan solids with isosceles triangle faces Triakis tetrahedron Triakis octahedron Tetrakis hexahedron Pentakis dodecahedron Triakis icosahedron Whether an isosceles triangle is acute right or obtuse depends only on the angle at its apex In Euclidean geometry the base angles can not be obtuse greater than 90 or right equal to 90 because their measures would sum to at least 180 the total of all angles in any Euclidean triangle 8 Since a triangle is obtuse or right if and only if one of its angles is obtuse or right respectively an isosceles triangle is obtuse right or acute if and only if its apex angle is respectively obtuse right or acute 7 In Edwin Abbott s book Flatland this classification of shapes was used as a satire of social hierarchy isosceles triangles represented the working class with acute isosceles triangles higher in the hierarchy than right or obtuse isosceles triangles 9 As well as the isosceles right triangle several other specific shapes of isosceles triangles have been studied These include the Calabi triangle a triangle with three congruent inscribed squares 10 the golden triangle and golden gnomon two isosceles triangles whose sides and base are in the golden ratio 11 the 80 80 20 triangle appearing in the Langley s Adventitious Angles puzzle 12 and the 30 30 120 triangle of the triakis triangular tiling Five Catalan solids the triakis tetrahedron triakis octahedron tetrakis hexahedron pentakis dodecahedron and triakis icosahedron each have isosceles triangle faces as do infinitely many pyramids 8 and bipyramids 13 Formulas EditHeight Edit For any isosceles triangle the following six line segments coincide the altitude a line segment from the apex perpendicular to the base 14 the angle bisector from the apex to the base 14 the median from the apex to the midpoint of the base 14 the perpendicular bisector of the base within the triangle 14 the segment within the triangle of the unique axis of symmetry of the triangle and 14 the segment within the triangle of the Euler line of the triangle except when the triangle is equilateral 15 Their common length is the height h displaystyle h of the triangle If the triangle has equal sides of length a displaystyle a and base of length b displaystyle b the general triangle formulas for the lengths of these segments all simplify to 16 h a 2 b 2 4 displaystyle h sqrt a 2 frac b 2 4 This formula can also be derived from the Pythagorean theorem using the fact that the altitude bisects the base and partitions the isosceles triangle into two congruent right triangles 17 The Euler line of any triangle goes through the triangle s orthocenter the intersection of its three altitudes its centroid the intersection of its three medians and its circumcenter the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of its three sides which is also the center of the circumcircle that passes through the three vertices In an isosceles triangle with exactly two equal sides these three points are distinct and by symmetry all lie on the symmetry axis of the triangle from which it follows that the Euler line coincides with the axis of symmetry The incenter of the triangle also lies on the Euler line something that is not true for other triangles 15 If any two of an angle bisector median or altitude coincide in a given triangle that triangle must be isosceles 18 Area Edit The area T displaystyle T of an isosceles triangle can be derived from the formula for its height and from the general formula for the area of a triangle as half the product of base and height 16 T b 4 4 a 2 b 2 displaystyle T frac b 4 sqrt 4a 2 b 2 The same area formula can also be derived from Heron s formula for the area of a triangle from its three sides However applying Heron s formula directly can be numerically unstable for isosceles triangles with very sharp angles because of the near cancellation between the semiperimeter and side length in those triangles 19 If the apex angle 8 displaystyle theta and leg lengths a displaystyle a of an isosceles triangle are known then the area of that triangle is 20 T 1 2 a 2 sin 8 displaystyle T frac 1 2 a 2 sin theta This is a special case of the general formula for the area of a triangle as half the product of two sides times the sine of the included angle 21 Perimeter Edit The perimeter p displaystyle p of an isosceles triangle with equal sides a displaystyle a and base b displaystyle b is just 16 p 2 a b displaystyle p 2a b As in any triangle the area T displaystyle T and perimeter p displaystyle p are related by the isoperimetric inequality 22 p 2 gt 12 3 T displaystyle p 2 gt 12 sqrt 3 T This is a strict inequality for isosceles triangles with sides unequal to the base and becomes an equality for the equilateral triangle The area perimeter and base can also be related to each other by the equation 23 2 p b 3 p 2 b 2 16 T 2 0 displaystyle 2pb 3 p 2 b 2 16T 2 0 If the base and perimeter are fixed then this formula determines the area of the resulting isosceles triangle which is the maximum possible among all triangles with the same base and perimeter 24 On the other hand if the area and perimeter are fixed this formula can be used to recover the base length but not uniquely there are in general two distinct isosceles triangles with given area T displaystyle T and perimeter p displaystyle p When the isoperimetric inequality becomes an equality there is only one such triangle which is equilateral 25 Angle bisector length Edit If the two equal sides have length a displaystyle a and the other side has length b displaystyle b then the internal angle bisector t displaystyle t from one of the two equal angled vertices satisfies 26 2 a b a b gt t gt a b 2 a b displaystyle frac 2ab a b gt t gt frac ab sqrt 2 a b as well as t lt 4 a 3 displaystyle t lt frac 4a 3 and conversely if the latter condition holds an isosceles triangle parametrized by a displaystyle a and t displaystyle t exists 27 The Steiner Lehmus theorem states that every triangle with two angle bisectors of equal lengths is isosceles It was formulated in 1840 by C L Lehmus Its other namesake Jakob Steiner was one of the first to provide a solution 28 Although originally formulated only for internal angle bisectors it works for many but not all cases when instead two external angle bisectors are equal The 30 30 120 isosceles triangle makes a boundary case for this variation of the theorem as it has four equal angle bisectors two internal two external 29 Radii Edit Isosceles triangle showing its circumcenter blue centroid red incenter green and symmetry axis purple The inradius and circumradius formulas for an isosceles triangle may be derived from their formulas for arbitrary triangles 30 The radius of the inscribed circle of an isosceles triangle with side length a displaystyle a base b displaystyle b and height h displaystyle h is 16 2 a b b 2 4 h displaystyle frac 2ab b 2 4h The center of the circle lies on the symmetry axis of the triangle this distance above the base An isosceles triangle has the largest possible inscribed circle among the triangles with the same base and apex angle as well as also having the largest area and perimeter among the same class of triangles 31 The radius of the circumscribed circle is 16 a 2 2 h displaystyle frac a 2 2h The center of the circle lies on the symmetry axis of the triangle this distance below the apex Inscribed square Edit For any isosceles triangle there is a unique square with one side collinear with the base of the triangle and the opposite two corners on its sides The Calabi triangle is a special isosceles triangle with the property that the other two inscribed squares with sides collinear with the sides of the triangle are of the same size as the base square 10 A much older theorem preserved in the works of Hero of Alexandria states that for an isosceles triangle with base b displaystyle b and height h displaystyle h the side length of the inscribed square on the base of the triangle is 32 b h b h displaystyle frac bh b h Isosceles subdivision of other shapes Edit Partition of a cyclic pentagon into isosceles triangles by radii of its circumcircle For any integer n 4 displaystyle n geq 4 any triangle can be partitioned into n displaystyle n isosceles triangles 33 In a right triangle the median from the hypotenuse that is the line segment from the midpoint of the hypotenuse to the right angled vertex divides the right triangle into two isosceles triangles This is because the midpoint of the hypotenuse is the center of the circumcircle of the right triangle and each of the two triangles created by the partition has two equal radii as two of its sides 34 Similarly an acute triangle can be partitioned into three isosceles triangles by segments from its circumcenter 35 but this method does not work for obtuse triangles because the circumcenter lies outside the triangle 30 Generalizing the partition of an acute triangle any cyclic polygon that contains the center of its circumscribed circle can be partitioned into isosceles triangles by the radii of this circle through its vertices The fact that all radii of a circle have equal length implies that all of these triangles are isosceles This partition can be used to derive a formula for the area of the polygon as a function of its side lengths even for cyclic polygons that do not contain their circumcenters This formula generalizes Heron s formula for triangles and Brahmagupta s formula for cyclic quadrilaterals 36 Either diagonal of a rhombus divides it into two congruent isosceles triangles Similarly one of the two diagonals of a kite divides it into two isosceles triangles which are not congruent except when the kite is a rhombus 37 Applications EditIn architecture and design Edit Obtuse isosceles pediment of the Pantheon Rome Acute isosceles gable over the Saint Etienne portal Notre Dame de Paris Isosceles triangles commonly appear in architecture as the shapes of gables and pediments In ancient Greek architecture and its later imitations the obtuse isosceles triangle was used in Gothic architecture this was replaced by the acute isosceles triangle 8 In the architecture of the Middle Ages another isosceles triangle shape became popular the Egyptian isosceles triangle This is an isosceles triangle that is acute but less so than the equilateral triangle its height is proportional to 5 8 of its base 38 The Egyptian isosceles triangle was brought back into use in modern architecture by Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage 39 Detailed view of a modified Warren truss with verticals Warren truss structures such as bridges are commonly arranged in isosceles triangles although sometimes vertical beams are also included for additional strength 40 Surfaces tessellated by obtuse isosceles triangles can be used to form deployable structures that have two stable states an unfolded state in which the surface expands to a cylindrical column and a folded state in which it folds into a more compact prism shape that can be more easily transported 41 The same tessellation pattern forms the basis of Yoshimura buckling a pattern formed when cylindrical surfaces are axially compressed 42 and of the Schwarz lantern an example used in mathematics to show that the area of a smooth surface cannot always be accurately approximated by polyhedra converging to the surface 43 Flag of Guyana Flag of Saint Lucia In graphic design and the decorative arts isosceles triangles have been a frequent design element in cultures around the world from at least the Early Neolithic 44 to modern times 45 They are a common design element in flags and heraldry appearing prominently with a vertical base for instance in the flag of Guyana or with a horizontal base in the flag of Saint Lucia where they form a stylized image of a mountain island 46 They also have been used in designs with religious or mystic significance for instance in the Sri Yantra of Hindu meditational practice 47 In other areas of mathematics Edit If a cubic equation with real coefficients has three roots that are not all real numbers then when these roots are plotted in the complex plane as an Argand diagram they form vertices of an isosceles triangle whose axis of symmetry coincides with the horizontal real axis This is because the complex roots are complex conjugates and hence are symmetric about the real axis 48 In celestial mechanics the three body problem has been studied in the special case that the three bodies form an isosceles triangle because assuming that the bodies are arranged in this way reduces the number of degrees of freedom of the system without reducing it to the solved Lagrangian point case when the bodies form an equilateral triangle The first instances of the three body problem shown to have unbounded oscillations were in the isosceles three body problem 49 History and fallacies EditLong before isosceles triangles were studied by the ancient Greek mathematicians the practitioners of Ancient Egyptian mathematics and Babylonian mathematics knew how to calculate their area Problems of this type are included in the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus and Rhind Mathematical Papyrus 50 The theorem that the base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal appears as Proposition I 5 in Euclid 51 This result has been called the pons asinorum the bridge of asses or the isosceles triangle theorem Rival explanations for this name include the theory that it is because the diagram used by Euclid in his demonstration of the result resembles a bridge or because this is the first difficult result in Euclid and acts to separate those who can understand Euclid s geometry from those who cannot 52 A well known fallacy is the false proof of the statement that all triangles are isosceles Robin Wilson credits this argument to Lewis Carroll 53 who published it in 1899 but W W Rouse Ball published it in 1892 and later wrote that Carroll obtained the argument from him 54 The fallacy is rooted in Euclid s lack of recognition of the concept of betweenness and the resulting ambiguity of inside versus outside of figures 55 Notes Edit Heath 1956 p 187 Definition 20 Stahl 2003 p 37 Usiskin amp Griffin 2008 p 4 Usiskin amp Griffin 2008 p 41 Ionin 2009 Jacobs 1974 p 144 a b Gottschau Haverkort amp Matzke 2018 a b c d Lardner 1840 p 46 Barnes 2012 a b Conway amp Guy 1996 Loeb 1992 Langley 1922 Montroll 2009 a b c d e Hadamard 2008 p 23 a b Guinand 1984 a b c d e Harris amp Stocker 1998 p 78 Salvadori amp Wright 1998 Hadamard 2008 Exercise 5 p 29 Kahan 2014 Young 2011 p 298 Young 2011 p 398 Alsina amp Nelsen 2009 p 71 Baloglou amp Helfgott 2008 Equation 1 Wickelgren 2012 Baloglou amp Helfgott 2008 Theorem 2 Arslanagic Oxman 2005 Gilbert amp MacDonnell 1963 Conway amp Ryba 2014 a b Harris amp Stocker 1998 p 75 Alsina amp Nelsen 2009 p 67 Gandz 1940 Lord 1982 See also Hadamard 2008 Exercise 340 p 270 Posamentier amp Lehmann 2012 p 24 Bezdek amp Bisztriczky 2015 Robbins 1995 Usiskin amp Griffin 2008 p 51 Lavedan 1947 Padovan 2002 Ketchum 1920 Pellegrino 2002 Yoshimura 1955 Schwarz 1890 Washburn 1984 Jakway 1922 Smith 2014 Bolton Nicol amp Macleod 1977 Bardell 2016 Diacu amp Holmes 1999 Hoyrup 2008 Although many of the early Egyptologists believed that the Egyptians used an inexact formula for the area half the product of the base and side Vasily Vasilievich Struve championed the view that they used the correct formula half the product of the base and height Clagett 1989 This question rests on the translation of one of the words in the Rhind papyrus and with this word translated as height or more precisely as the ratio of height to base the formula is correct Gunn amp Peet 1929 pp 173 174 Heath 1956 p 251 Venema 2006 p 89 Wilson 2008 Ball amp Coxeter 1987 Specht et al 2015 References EditAlsina Claudi Nelsen Roger B 2009 When less is more Visualizing basic inequalities The Dolciani Mathematical Expositions vol 36 Mathematical Association of America Washington DC ISBN 978 0 88385 342 9 MR 2498836 Arslanagic Sefket Problem h44 Inequalities proposed in Crux Mathematicorum PDF p 151 Ball W W Rouse Coxeter H S M 1987 1892 Mathematical Recreations and Essays 13th ed Dover footnote p 77 ISBN 0 486 25357 0 Baloglou George Helfgott Michel 2008 Angles area and perimeter caught in a cubic PDF Forum Geometricorum 8 13 25 MR 2373294 Bardell Nicholas S 2016 Cubic polynomials with real or complex coefficients The full picture PDF Australian Senior Mathematics Journal 30 2 5 26 Barnes John 2012 Gems of Geometry 2nd illustrated ed Springer p 27 ISBN 9783642309649 Bezdek Andras Bisztriczky Ted 2015 Finding equal diameter triangulations in polygons Beitrage zur Algebra und Geometrie 56 2 541 549 doi 10 1007 s13366 014 0206 6 MR 3391189 S2CID 123507725 Bolton Nicholas J Nicol D Macleod G March 1977 The geometry of the Sri yantra Religion 7 1 66 85 doi 10 1016 0048 721x 77 90008 2 Clagett Marshall 1989 Ancient Egyptian Science Ancient Egyptian mathematics American Philosophical Society Footnote 68 pp 195 197 ISBN 9780871692320 Conway J H Guy R K 1996 Calabi s Triangle The Book of Numbers New York Springer Verlag p 206 Conway John Ryba Alex July 2014 The Steiner Lehmus angle bisector theorem The Mathematical Gazette 98 542 193 203 doi 10 1017 s0025557200001236 S2CID 124753764 Diacu Florin Holmes Philip 1999 Celestial Encounters The Origins of Chaos and Stability Princeton Science Library Princeton University Press p 122 ISBN 9780691005454 Gandz Solomon 1940 Studies in Babylonian mathematics III Isoperimetric problems and the origin of the quadratic equations Isis 32 101 115 1947 doi 10 1086 347645 MR 0017683 S2CID 120267556 See in particular p 111 Gilbert G MacDonnell D 1963 The Steiner Lehmus Theorem Classroom Notes American Mathematical Monthly 70 1 79 80 doi 10 2307 2312796 JSTOR 2312796 MR 1531983 Gottschau Marinus Haverkort Herman Matzke Kilian 2018 Reptilings and space filling curves for acute triangles Discrete amp Computational Geometry 60 1 170 199 arXiv 1603 01382 doi 10 1007 s00454 017 9953 0 S2CID 14477196 Guinand Andrew P 1984 Euler lines tritangent centers and their triangles American Mathematical Monthly 91 5 290 300 doi 10 2307 2322671 JSTOR 2322671 MR 0740243 Gunn Battiscombe Peet T Eric May 1929 Four geometrical problems from the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 15 1 167 185 doi 10 1177 030751332901500130 JSTOR 3854111 S2CID 192278129 Hadamard Jacques 2008 Lessons in Geometry Plane geometry translated by Saul Mark American Mathematical Society ISBN 9780821843673 Harris John W Stocker Horst 1998 Handbook of mathematics and computational science New York Springer Verlag doi 10 1007 978 1 4612 5317 4 ISBN 0 387 94746 9 MR 1621531 Heath Thomas L 1956 1925 The Thirteen Books of Euclid s Elements vol 1 2nd ed New York Dover Publications ISBN 0 486 60088 2 Hoyrup Jens 2008 Geometry in Mesopotamia and Egypt Encyclopaedia of the History of Science Technology and Medicine in Non Western Cultures Springer Netherlands pp 1019 1023 Bibcode 2008ehst book S doi 10 1007 978 1 4020 4425 0 8619 Ionin Yury J 2009 Isosceles sets Electronic Journal of Combinatorics 16 1 R141 1 R141 24 doi 10 37236 230 MR 2577309 Jacobs Harold R 1974 Geometry W H Freeman and Co ISBN 0 7167 0456 0 Jakway Bernard C 1922 The Principles of Interior Decoration Macmillan p 48 Kahan W September 4 2014 Miscalculating Area and Angles of a Needle like Triangle PDF Lecture Notes for Introductory Numerical Analysis Classes University of California Berkeley Ketchum Milo Smith 1920 The Design of Highway Bridges of Steel Timber and Concrete New York McGraw Hill p 107 Langley E M 1922 Problem 644 The Mathematical Gazette 11 173 Lardner Dionysius 1840 A Treatise on Geometry and Its Application in the Arts The Cabinet Cyclopaedia London Lavedan Pierre 1947 French Architecture Penguin Books p 44 Loeb Arthur 1992 Concepts and Images Visual Mathematics Boston Birkhauser Boston p 180 ISBN 0 8176 3620 X Lord N J June 1982 66 16 Isosceles subdivisions of triangles The Mathematical Gazette 66 436 136 137 doi 10 2307 3617750 JSTOR 3617750 S2CID 125411311 Montroll John 2009 Origami Polyhedra Design A K Peters p 6 ISBN 9781439871065 Oxman Victor 2005 On the existence of triangles with given lengths of one side the opposite and one adjacent angle bisectors PDF Forum Geometricorum 5 21 22 MR 2141652 Padovan Richard 2002 Towards Universality Le Corbusier Mies and De Stijl Psychology Press p 128 ISBN 9780415259620 Pellegrino S 2002 Deployable Structures CISM International Centre for Mechanical Sciences vol 412 Springer pp 99 100 ISBN 9783211836859 Posamentier Alfred S Lehmann Ingmar 2012 The Secrets of Triangles A Mathematical Journey Amherst NY Prometheus Books p 387 ISBN 978 1 61614 587 3 MR 2963520 Robbins David P 1995 Areas of polygons inscribed in a circle American Mathematical Monthly 102 6 523 530 doi 10 2307 2974766 JSTOR 2974766 MR 1336638 Salvadori Mario Wright Joseph P 1998 Math Games for Middle School Challenges and Skill Builders for Students at Every Level Chicago Review Press pp 70 71 ISBN 9781569767276 Schwarz H A 1890 Gesammelte Mathematische Abhandlungen von H A Schwarz Verlag von Julius Springer pp 309 311 Smith Whitney June 26 2014 Flag of Saint Lucia Encyclopaedia Britannica retrieved 2018 09 12 Specht Edward John Jones Harold Trainer Calkins Keith G Rhoads Donald H 2015 Euclidean geometry and its subgeometries Springer Cham p 64 doi 10 1007 978 3 319 23775 6 ISBN 978 3 319 23774 9 MR 3445044 Stahl Saul 2003 Geometry from Euclid to Knots Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 032927 4 Usiskin Zalman Griffin Jennifer 2008 The Classification of Quadrilaterals A Study in Definition Research in Mathematics Education Information Age Publishing ISBN 9781607526001 Venema Gerard A 2006 Foundations of Geometry Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 143700 3 Washburn Dorothy K July 1984 A study of the red on cream and cream on red designs on Early Neolithic ceramics from Nea Nikomedeia American Journal of Archaeology 88 3 305 324 doi 10 2307 504554 JSTOR 504554 S2CID 191374019 Wickelgren Wayne A 2012 How to Solve Mathematical Problems Dover Books on Mathematics Courier Corporation pp 222 224 ISBN 9780486152684 Wilson Robin 2008 Lewis Carroll in Numberland His fantastical mathematical logical life an agony in eight fits Penguin Books pp 169 170 ISBN 978 0 14 101610 8 MR 2455534 Yoshimura Yoshimaru July 1955 On the mechanism of buckling of a circular cylindrical shell under axial compression Technical Memorandum 1390 National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Young Cynthia Y 2011 Trigonometry John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 9780470648025External links EditWeisstein Eric W Isosceles triangle MathWorld Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Isosceles triangle amp oldid 1144467410, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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