Square up to this Triangle

Geometry Level 3

A square DEFG is inscribed in triangle ABC as shown. BC = 14, AB = 15, AC = 13.

Whats the length of the side of the square?


The answer is 6.46.

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2 solutions

Adrian Neacșu
Apr 19, 2014

With Heron's formula we get A = 84 A=84 .

Let A D AD be the altitude from A A to B C BC .

Then we get the altitude from the area A D = 12 AD=12 .

Let the length of the square be x x .

Δ A B C Δ A D E \Delta ABC\sim \Delta ADE then A E A C = D E B C = x 14 \frac {AE}{AC}=\frac {DE}{BC}=\frac {x}{14} .

Δ A D C Δ E F C \Delta ADC\sim \Delta EFC then C E A C = E F A D = x 12 \frac {CE}{AC}=\frac {EF}{AD}=\frac {x}{12} .

We know that A E A C + C E A C = 1 \frac {AE}{AC}+\frac {CE}{AC}=1 .

Then x 14 + x 12 = 1 \frac {x}{14}+\frac {x}{12}=1 .

Then x = 84 13 x=\frac{84}{13} .

Satyen Nabar
Apr 17, 2014

Draw the altitude AI of the triangle which divides into two right angled triangles. By pythagorean triples, they are 15-12-9 and 13-12-5 sided triangles. So AI = 12 (Alternatively AI can be calculated after using Herons Formula to get area.)

Area of triangle ABC = 1/2 bh= 84.

Area of triangle ABC= Area of ADE + ( combined Area of BDG and EFC ) + x^2

84= 1/2x (12-x) + 1/2x(14-x) + x^2

x= 6.46

Let x be the side of the inscribed square. Area of the triangle with sides 13, 14, 15 using Hero's formula is 84. Height is then 12. Making an equation of adding the areas of three smaller triangles with the square gives the equation [(14 - x)a/2] + [a(12 - a)/2] + a^2 = 84, where the first expression in this equation is the sum of two triangles with a common base side of total length (14 - a). Rest is easy as a^2 terms cancel giving 13 a = 84, i.e. a = 6.46

Rajen Kapur - 7 years, 1 month ago

Satyen, you are right here.

Rajen Kapur - 7 years, 1 month ago

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