Is this a Possible Triangle?

Geometry Level 3

Does there exist a right triangle composed of rational side lengths that has an area of 5 ? 5?

No Yes

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2 solutions

The answer is Yes \boxed{\text{Yes}} , with one example being ( a , b , c ) = ( 3 2 , 20 3 , 41 6 ) (a,b,c) = \left(\dfrac{3}{2}, \dfrac{20}{3}, \dfrac{41}{6}\right) , which is a scaled-down ( 9 , 40 , 41 ) (9,40,41) Pythagorean triple. The idea is to find a Pythagorean triple with an area of the form 5 n 2 5n^{2} for some integer n n and then scaling down the sides of this triple by a factor n n . In the case of this example, the area of a ( 9 , 40 , 41 ) (9,40,41) triangle is 180 = 5 × 6 2 180 = 5 \times 6^{2} , so we just scale down its sides by a factor of 6 6 to obtain the desired result.

I'm not sure if there are any other primitive Pythagorean triples we can scale down like this.....

Since (primitive) Pythagorean triplets can be expressed as ( A , B , C ) = ( m 2 n 2 , 2 m n , m 2 + n 2 ) (A,B,C) = (m^2-n^2,2mn,m^2 + n^2) , then we just need to solve the Diophantine equation, 1 2 ( m 2 n 2 ) ( 2 m n ) = 5 q 2 . \frac12 (m^2-n^2)(2mn) = 5q^2 .

WolframAlpha only show two 2 solutions, but both of them boils down to the triplet ( 9 , 40 , 41 ) (9,40,41) . I don't know how to solve this Diophantine equation though.

Pi Han Goh - 2 years, 7 months ago

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Yeah, that's a difficult one. It can be rewritten as m n ( m n ) ( m + n ) = 5 q 2 mn(m - n)(m + n) = 5q^{2} , and in the ( 9 , 40 , 41 ) (9,40,41) case ( m , n ) = ( 5 , 4 ) (m,n) = (5,4) . It's not necessarily the case that one of m , n m,n must be a multiple of 5 5 , but if we let m = 5 k m = 5k then the equation becomes k n ( 5 k n ) ( 5 k + n ) = q 2 kn(5k - n)(5k + n) = q^{2} , which .... doesn't really make things easier. :/ It would be an unexpected result that ( 9 , 40 , 41 ) (9,40,41) is the only primitive that works, so it's worth pursuing this further to see if this is in fact the case.

Brian Charlesworth - 2 years, 7 months ago

I regret not realizing this when I came up when this phythagorean triple. I knew how things had to scale things and had the right idea but the solution slipped by me.

Those are most frustrating incorrect answers, when you figure out what to do but still overlook something.

Brian Bohan - 2 years, 7 months ago
Halim Amran
Nov 2, 2018

first thing first

r Q r n Q r \in \mathbb{Q} \Rightarrow r^n \in \mathbb{Q} \\

And

a × b 2 = 5 a × b = 10 a = 10 b \begin{aligned} \frac{a \times b} {2}&= 5 \\ a \times b&= 10 \\ a&= \frac{10}{b} \end{aligned}

So

a Q b Q a\in \mathbb{Q} \iff b \in \mathbb{Q}

we have

let’s spouse c Q a 2 + b 2 = c 2 ( 10 b ) 2 + b 2 = c 2 1 0 2 b 2 + b 2 = c 2 1 0 2 + b 4 b 2 = c 2 c = 1 0 2 + b 4 b 2 c = 1 0 2 + b 4 b b Q \begin{aligned} \text {let's spouse } c \in \mathbb{Q} \\ a^2+b^2&=c^2 \\ \left ( \frac{10}{b} \right )^2 + b^2&=c^2 \\ \frac{10^2}{b^2}+b^2&=c^2 \\ \frac{10^2+b^4}{b^2}&=c^2 \\ c&=\frac{\sqrt{10^2+b^4}}{\sqrt{b^2}}\\ c&=\frac{\sqrt{10^2+b^4}}{b} \end{aligned} \iff \boxed{b\in\mathbb{Q}} \\

so for any c Q c\in\mathbb{Q} we have:

( a , b , c ) Q \boxed{\left ( a,b,c \right ) \in \mathbb{Q}}

why c Q c\in\mathbb{Q} ?? is 1 0 2 + b 4 Q \sqrt{10^2+b^4} \in\mathbb{Q} ??

!! r Q r n Q \color{#D61F06} r\in\mathbb{Q} \Leftrightarrow r^n \in\mathbb{Q}

counterexample

let r= 2 \sqrt{2} and n=2

( 2 ) 2 Q \left ( \sqrt{ 2} \right )^2 \in\mathbb{Q} and 2 Q \sqrt{2} \notin\mathbb{Q}

Hassan Abdulla - 1 year, 11 months ago

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