A solid from triangles

Geometry Level 4

You have the following 8 triangles:

  • 2 equilateral triangles (side length 2 \sqrt2 )
  • 6 isosceles triangles (side lengths 1 , 1 , 2 1, 1, \sqrt2 )

If you connect them at their edges to form a solid, such that the two equilateral triangles don't share an edge, what is the volume of the resulting solid?


The answer is 0.667.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

3 solutions

Geoff Pilling
Apr 8, 2017

The resulting solid is a unit cube with two tetrahedral corners cut off. Here is an image of one of them:

Since the areas of those tetrahedral corners are each 1 6 \frac{1}{6} then the volume of the resulting cube will be given by:

V = 1 1 6 1 6 = 2 3 V = 1 - \dfrac{1}{6} - \dfrac{1}{6} = \boxed{\dfrac{2}{3}}

I created a different solid with the same configuration of sides. intriguing Solid intriguing Solid Is this the same as Marta's?

Guiseppi Butel - 4 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

Actually this is the same solid... It may not have been clear from my picture, but it only shows one of the tetrahedra cut off... When you cut the second one off the opposite corner you get your solid pictured here!

Geoff Pilling - 4 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

I was misled by orientating the solid so that one of the equilateral triangles was the base.

Guiseppi Butel - 4 years, 1 month ago
Marta Reece
Apr 9, 2017

Result is a triangular anti-prism with bases side a = 2 a=\sqrt{2} . Regular triangular anti-prism is an octahedron with volume (for edge a = 2 a=\sqrt{2} )

V = 2 3 a 3 = 4 3 V=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{3}a^3=\frac{4}{3} In top view A C = 1 2 , A C B = 9 0 , C A B = 3 0 AC=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}, \angle ACB=90^\circ, \angle CAB=30^\circ therefore A B = 2 3 AB=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{3}}

With side edge a = 2 a=\sqrt{2} the height would be h 2 = 2 A B 2 = 2 2 3 = 2 3 h_2=\sqrt{2-AB^2}=\sqrt{2-\frac{2}{3}}=\frac{2}{\sqrt{3}}

With side edge a = 1 a=1 the height is instead h 1 = 1 A B 2 = 1 2 3 = 1 3 h_1=\sqrt{1-AB^2}=\sqrt{1-\frac{2}{3}}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}

So we need to take the volume of a regular tetrahedron and multiply it by the ration of the heights.

V = 4 3 × h 1 h 2 = 4 3 × 1 2 = 2 3 V=\frac{4}{3}\times \frac{h_1}{h_2}=\frac{4}{3}\times\frac{1}{2}=\frac{2}{3}

@Marta Reece Interesting approach... But I think that is the volume for a regular octahedron... This octahedran isn't quite regular since its faces aren't all equilateral triangles.

In fact, its volume is exactly half the area of a regular octahedron.

Geoff Pilling - 4 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

Still working on it. It didn't want to give me preview without posting first. Sorry.

Marta Reece - 4 years, 2 months ago

Log in to reply

Ah ok, got it... Figured it might be something like that... (Since you got the answer correct! :0) )

Geoff Pilling - 4 years, 2 months ago


The isosceles triangles are 45-90-45 with unit sides.

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...