60°- 30° right triangles

Geometry Level 3

Three identical 30-60-90 right triangles are arranged as shown in the figure.

What is the ratio of the red segment’s \color{#D61F06}\text{red segment's} length to the blue segment’s \color{#3D99F6}\text{blue segment's} length?


The answer is 3.5.

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9 solutions

Uros Stojkovic
Jan 8, 2018

R l e n g t h = 2 2 + 3 2 = 7 {\color{#D61F06} R_{length}} = \sqrt{2^{2} + \sqrt{3}^{2}} = \sqrt{7} Set up the equations: ( 1 ) y = 3 2 x + 3 3 2 ( 2 ) y = 3 5 x . \begin{aligned} & {\color{#D61F06} (1)}~y = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}x + \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{2} \\ & {\color{#333333} (2)}~y = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{5}x. \end{aligned} Find the point of intersection: ( 3 5 + 3 2 ) x = 3 3 2 7 3 10 x = 3 3 2 7 5 x = 3 x = 15 7 y = 3 3 7 . \begin{aligned} \left ( \frac{\sqrt{3}}{5} + \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \right )x &= \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{2} \\ \frac{7\sqrt{3}}{10}x & = \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{2} \\ \frac{7}{5}x & = 3 \\ x &= \frac{15}{7} \\ \implies y &= \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{7}.\end{aligned} Now, you have: B l e n g t h = ( 15 7 2 ) 2 + ( 3 3 7 ) 2 = 28 49 = 2 7 7 . {\color{#3D99F6} B_{length}} = \sqrt{\left ( \frac{15}{7}-2 \right )^{2} + \left ( \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{7}\right )^{2}} =\sqrt{\frac{28}{49}} = \frac{2\sqrt{7}}{7}. Hence, R l e n g t h B l e n g t h = 7 2 7 7 = 7 2 = 3.5 . \frac{{\color{#D61F06} R_{length}}}{{\color{#3D99F6} B_{length}}} = \dfrac{\sqrt{7}}{\frac{2\sqrt{7}}{7}} = \frac{7}{2} = \boxed{3.5}.

Very efficient method, avoids trigonometry ....

Arunava Das - 3 years, 5 months ago

Minor typo, in equation (1) the radical in the y-intercept should be root 3, not root 2. Got me all confused for a bit where the root 2 came from.

James Sievers - 3 years, 4 months ago

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Thanks, I've corrected it! Sorry for time you lost recalculating.

Uros Stojkovic - 3 years, 4 months ago
Kelvin Hong
Jan 7, 2018

Relevant wiki: Cosine Rule (Law of Cosines)

We expand the graph into a complete hexagon, and found that the six linked segment construct another smaller inside hexagon.

Let A O = 2 AO = 2 so then O B = 1 OB = 1 , using Law of Cosine obtain A B = 7 AB = \sqrt{7} .

Using different area expressions of Δ A O B \Delta AOB , yield

A O × O B sin 12 0 = A B × O C AO \times OB \sin{120^\circ} = AB \times OC then get O C = 3 7 OC = \sqrt{\frac{3}{7}} .

Let's observed closer at the smaller hexagon, we have O D cos 3 0 = O C OD \cos{30^\circ} = OC and gives us O D = 2 7 OD = \frac{2}{\sqrt{7}} .

Finally, the ratio of the red segment's length to the blue segment's length will be A B O D = 7 2 \frac{AB}{OD} = \boxed{\frac{7}{2}} .

Wow, it is really interesting to notice how constructing the Hexagon makes the job much simpler.

Agnishom Chattopadhyay - 3 years, 5 months ago

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Ya, I knew using coordinate is intuitive, but I want to find a beautiful way to do this.

Kelvin Hong - 3 years, 5 months ago

Why OB is 1? What is the relation with AO?

Michael Szerman - 3 years, 4 months ago

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It is a arbitrary value, I just let OA = 2 and OB = 1 base on the relationship of s i n 3 0 sin {30^\circ} . Because question is asking about the ratio, so the values of OA and OB don't matter.

Kelvin Hong - 3 years, 4 months ago

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Thanks Kelvin!

Michael Szerman - 3 years, 4 months ago
Yunhao Mo
Jan 2, 2018

(my English is poor) i use the axis to solve it ,may be using the geometric is more good)

my method: 1:calculate AO (use AB and BO)
2:determine the equation of AO
3:determine the equation of DE
4:determine the coordinate of D and E
5: calculate the length of DE
END




|3 is the square root of 3
- assume EO=1 BO=|3

so AC=|3 EC=1
EB=2
so cb=1
∠ACB = 90
so AB=2 and ∠ABO=90
A(2,|3)
AO=|7
AO is y= 3 2 \frac{|3}{2} x
C is the midpoint of EB
C ( 1 2 \frac{1}{2} , 3 2 \frac{|3}{2}
F(3,0)
so FC is y=- 3 5 \frac{|3}{5} x + 33 5 \frac{33}{5}

then D ( 6 7 \frac{6}{7} , 3 3 7 \frac{3|3}{7}
DE= 2 7 5 \frac{2|7}{5}

the Ans is 3.5

Interesting problem. I have used similar method, but made silly mistakes.Here my solutions: We can solve the problem by coordinate geometry

Let the origin is at the point E(0,0).Wlog let the triangle has sides of 1,√3,2. So the coordinates of point O(1,0), B(1,√3), C(1/2,1/2 √3),A(-1, √3), and F(-2,0). The equations of line CF: y=√3/5 (x- 2), AO: y = -√3/2 (x- 1), So we can find the intersection point of these two lines (1/7 , 3√3/7) So the ratio of the red line to the green line is 7√7/√28 = 3.5

rab gani - 3 years, 5 months ago
Smith Stephen
Jan 12, 2018

We can prove that △BOF is similar to △AOE and △DOA. So the ratio of OB to OA is the same as the ratio of BF to AE, which is actually 3:2. Also, the ratio of OA to OE is the same as the ratio of AD to AE, which is actually 2:1. So, the ratio of BE and OA is 3.5

Denote a = A B a=AB , b = B C b=BC , c = A F c=AF , h = A E h=AE . There follows A C = 2 a AC=2a , C A B = 2 π 3 \angle CAB=\dfrac{2\pi}3 . Applying the cosine theorem, we find b = a 7 b=a\sqrt7 . Denote s = a + 2 a + b 2 = a 2 ( 3 + 7 ) s=\dfrac{a+2a+b}2=\dfrac a2(3+\sqrt7) and apply Heron's formula to find the area of Δ A B C \Delta ABC , obtaining a 2 3 2 \dfrac{a^2\sqrt3}2 . On the other hand the area of Δ A B C \Delta ABC is b h 2 = a h 7 2 \dfrac{bh}2=\dfrac{ah\sqrt7}2 , so h = a 3 7 h=a\sqrt{\dfrac37} . Taking into account that the triangle A D F ADF is equilateral, with c = A F = A D = D F c=AF=AD=DF , and its area is c 2 3 4 = c h 2 = c a 2 3 7 \dfrac{c^2\sqrt3}4=\dfrac{ch}2=\dfrac{ca}2\sqrt{\dfrac37} . So c = 2 a 7 c=\dfrac{2a}{\sqrt7} , and the required ratio is b c = a 7 2 a 7 = 7 2 = 3.5 \dfrac bc=\dfrac{a\sqrt7}{\dfrac{2a}{\sqrt7}}=\dfrac72=3.5 .

Why is triangle ADF equilateral?

Valeri Milanov - 3 years, 4 months ago

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I expected such a question! On the segment B C BC we determine the point D D , so that A F = A D AF=AD . The rotation of the triangle on the right side around A A is by the angle of π 3 \dfrac\pi3 , whereby A D AD maps into A F AF , accordingly F D = A F = A D FD=AF=AD .

A Former Brilliant Member - 3 years, 4 months ago
Xu Kesi
Jul 18, 2018

Sorry,I'm just not good at English.So I decided to draw a picture to show the solution.

Jason Sefcik
Jan 14, 2018

TLDR;

R = 2. 5 2 + 3 2 2 = 7 {\color{#D61F06} R}=\sqrt{2.5^{2}+{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}^{2}} = \sqrt{7}

Δ A E C s i m i l a r Δ A C D \Delta AEC similar \Delta ACD

7 2 7 1 = 3.5 \frac{\sqrt{7}}{2}*\frac{\sqrt{7}}{1}=3.5

I thought this was a rather elegant solution, but I could not find a way to prove Δ A E C \Delta AEC is similar to Δ A C D \Delta ACD in a simple way

  1. Since all three 30-60-90 triangles are the same the red line is the same as the black line. Δ A E C = Δ F B C \Delta AEC = \Delta FBC
  2. The triangle ABC we know because it is a 30-60-90 triangle its sides are A B = 3 AB=\sqrt{3} , A C = 2 AC=2 , and B C = 1 BC=1 (or any multiple) segment B C = 1 BC=1 and segment G C = 2 GC=2 . We know B C BC is half way between segment C E CE and segment G E GE so the dimensions of Δ B F H \Delta BFH are 2.5 , 3 / 2 2.5,\sqrt{3}/2
  3. Solve for the black and red line Δ A E C = Δ F B C \Delta AEC = \Delta FBC R = 2. 5 2 + 3 2 2 = 7 {\color{#D61F06} R}=\sqrt{2.5^{2}+{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}^{2}} = \sqrt{7} Now we know Δ A E C \Delta AEC 's sides A C = 2 , C E = 1 , A E = 7 AC=2,CE=1,AE=\sqrt{7}
  4. We can determine Δ A E C \Delta AEC is similar to Δ A C D \Delta ACD Recognizing F D E \angle FDE is the interior angle of a regular hexagon F D E = 120 \angle FDE=120 ToDo (please help)
  5. Given Δ A E C \Delta AEC is similar to Δ A C D \Delta ACD we set up the proportion of the larger triangle A E AE to the smaller triangle A C AC and the proportion of the longest side A E AE to the shortest side C E CE .

7 2 7 1 = 3.5 \frac{\sqrt{7}}{2}*\frac{\sqrt{7}}{1}=3.5

Mohamed Nady
Jan 11, 2018

open autocad on your computer, draw 30 60 triangle, copy it and rotate 60 degrees, draw the additional needed lines and get thier, dimentions, after dividing them by each other you will get the ratio 3.5:1 ... No clapping. Thank you.

You could do the same with Geogebra too, right?

Agnishom Chattopadhyay - 3 years, 5 months ago

Wouldn't it be easier to just get a ruler and measure the ratio of the 2 lines on your screen directly?

Pi Han Goh - 3 years, 5 months ago

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I measured with my fingers and guessed right on the second try.

Rhonda Sobon - 3 years, 5 months ago
Shen Arthur
Jan 13, 2018

the blue segment can be seen a side of the equilateral triangle that lies on the red segment

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