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Posers and Puzzles
H. T. & E. hte
Joined 21 May '04 Moves 3510 Here is a beautiful puzzle from geometry for all RHP members.
ABC is an isosceles triangle with AB = AC. A perpendicular PQ is drawn on AB at its mid-point P (i.e. AP =PB), and this perpendicular line cuts AC at Q. It turns out that QC = BC. What is the the vertex angle /_BAC? The solution is to be obtained analytically and exactly. No trigonometrical tables..No numerical solutions. I assure you it is analytically solvable. 😳😲
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793
H. T. & E. hte
Joined 21 May '04 Moves 3510 Originally posted by wolfgang59
I have succeeded. Well ..plz give your solution..
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 No solution.
Just succeeded at trying to crack it. (As post challenged!) 😉
Seriously though I did try and as with most of these triangle puzzles I just went around in circles and proved the triangle had 180degrees!
Good Luck to anyone else who tries.
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 45/7 degrees
Obvious 😀
H. T. & E. hte
Joined 21 May '04 Moves 3510 Originally posted by wolfgang59
45/7 degrees
Obvious 😀 Nope that's not correct..
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 This has been driving me crazy! All I have succeeded in doing is
* proving that the angle equals itself
* proving that there are 180 degress in the triangle
* designing a new Star Trek logo
You will have to PM me answer if I dont get it in next 24 hours!
Joined 07 Sep '05 Moves 35068 180/7.
I'll come back and give the reasoning later, if it's right.
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 B
@St *** beat me!
180/7 is correct.
Call the angle in question 'a'
The final equation to solve is 7a/2 = 90 and in my drunkeness last night I made that a=45/7 instead of 180/7.
Proof
The isoceles triangle ABC has angle at B & C of (90-a/2)
Now consider the isoceles triangle QBC. It has angle at C of (90-a/2)
The angle at Q is {180 -[90-a] - [90-a]} = 2a
The angle at B is {[90-a/2]-a} = {90-3a/2}
But the angle at B must equal the angle at Q
Theefore 90-3a/2 = 2a
90 = 7a/2
180 = 7a
180/7=a
QED
Joined 07 Sep '05 Moves 35068 Originally posted by wolfgang59
B@St *** beat me! 🙂
Deceptively simple, isn't it? I started off looking for something much more complicated than that, using the sine rule etc.
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 Interestingly this is the same triangle from another (much harder) post.
http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=65139
Joined 14 Dec '05 Moves 5694 Originally posted by wolfgang59
Interestingly this is the same triangle from another (much harder) post.
http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=65139 It's the same answer. Not exactly the same triangle.
Nice solution!
H. T. & E. hte
Joined 21 May '04 Moves 3510 Originally posted by wolfgang59
B@St *** beat me!
180/7 is correct.
Call the angle in question 'a'
The final equation to solve is 7a/2 = 90 and in my drunkeness last night I made that a=45/7 instead of 180/7.
Proof
The isoceles triangle ABC has angle at B & C of (90-a/2)
Now consider the isoceles triangle QBC. It has angle at C of (90-a/2)
The angle at Q is {180 - ...[text shortened]... must equal the angle at Q
Theefore 90-3a/2 = 2a
90 = 7a/2
180 = 7a
180/7=a
QED Right you are..nice and neat
H. T. & E. hte
Joined 21 May '04 Moves 3510 Originally posted by luskin
It's the same answer. Not exactly the same triangle.
Nice solution! puzlles are different . Solutions are the same though...This puzzle is simpler than the one in the thread quoted.
RHP Arms
Joined 09 Jun '07 Moves 48793 Originally posted by luskin
It's the same answer. Not exactly the same triangle.
Nice solution! "It's the same answer. Not exactly the same triangle. "
Two isoceles triangles with the same angle at the apex? That makes them the same in my book!
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