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An equilateral triangle has sides of length 20. To the nearest tenth, what is the height of the equilateral triangle? Please explain what method you used. 

 Dec 28, 2016

Best Answer 

 #2
avatar+259 
+10

Since every side has the same length, u got in every of the 3. corners the same angle of 60.

Now if u split the equilateral triangle in the middle, u will get 2 halfs with each half having one angle of 90, one with 60(stays the same as unsplitted) and one with 30.

(sorry for that awful pic lol, but I just went for the first online draw thing on the internet)

So the middle line that splits the triangle is the heigh u want to calculate. Since u got a 90 angle by splitting it into 2 parts u can use the pythagoras to get the middle line.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2 

 

b is what u want to have, so rearrange it to:

 

b^2 = c^2 - a^2

 

Length of c is the same as unsplitted of 20, a is the half since u splitted the down side into 2 halfs. so its 10

 

b^2 = 20^2 - 10^2

b^2 = 300.   II ^(1/2) I cant use latex, so thats just taking the square root 2.

b = 17.3205080756887729

 

Also you can try to draw the graph to get the heigh, but it aint that accurate most times.

 Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
 #1
avatar
0

Area = Sqrt(3)/4 x S^2, S=Side

A      =0.4330127 x 20^2

A      =173.205 square units

173.205 =20 x H/2 divide both sides by 20

8.66025 =H/2 cross multiply

Height =17.3205 units.

 Dec 28, 2016
 #2
avatar+259 
+10
Best Answer

Since every side has the same length, u got in every of the 3. corners the same angle of 60.

Now if u split the equilateral triangle in the middle, u will get 2 halfs with each half having one angle of 90, one with 60(stays the same as unsplitted) and one with 30.

(sorry for that awful pic lol, but I just went for the first online draw thing on the internet)

So the middle line that splits the triangle is the heigh u want to calculate. Since u got a 90 angle by splitting it into 2 parts u can use the pythagoras to get the middle line.

a^2 + b^2 = c^2 

 

b is what u want to have, so rearrange it to:

 

b^2 = c^2 - a^2

 

Length of c is the same as unsplitted of 20, a is the half since u splitted the down side into 2 halfs. so its 10

 

b^2 = 20^2 - 10^2

b^2 = 300.   II ^(1/2) I cant use latex, so thats just taking the square root 2.

b = 17.3205080756887729

 

Also you can try to draw the graph to get the heigh, but it aint that accurate most times.

amnesia Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
edited by amnesia  Dec 28, 2016
 #3
avatar+118628 
+5

Nice pic amnesia :))

Melody  Dec 28, 2016
 #4
avatar+36923 
+5

Another method:   Using Amnesia's nice picture , you can see that the now divided triangle has angles of 30 60 90

Use law of sines     sin60/b  = sin 30/10     ('10' comes from dividing one '20' side in half = 10)

solve for b = 17.3205

 Dec 28, 2016

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