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{{Short description|Shape with three sides}}
{{otheruses}}
{{About|the basic geometric shape}}
A '''triangle''' is one of the basic [[shape]]s of [[geometry]]: a [[polygon]] with four[[vertex|vertices]] and three sides which are [[Distance geometry#straight|straight]] [[line segment]]s.
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
 
{{Infobox Polygon
Any three non-[[collinear]] points determine a triangle and a unique [[Plane (mathematics)|plane]], i.e. two dimensional [[Cartesian space]] in [[Euclidean geometry]] .
| name = Triangle
| image = Triangle illustration.svg
| caption =
| edges = 3
| schläfli = {3} (for equilateral)
| area = Various methods; <br> [[#Area|see below]]
}}
 
A '''triangle''' is a [[polygon]] with three corners and three sides, one of the basic [[shapes]] in [[geometry]]. The corners, also called [[Vertex (geometry)|''vertices'']], are zero-[[dimensional]] [[point (geometry)|points]] while the sides connecting them, also called [[Edge (geometry)|''edges'']], are one-dimensional [[line segment]]s. A triangle has three [[internal angle]]s, each one bounded by a pair of adjacent edges; the [[sum of angles of a triangle]] always equals a [[straight angle]] (180 degrees or π radians). The triangle is a [[plane figure]] and its interior is a [[planar region]]. Sometimes an arbitrary edge is chosen to be the [[base (geometry)|''base'']], in which case the opposite vertex is called the [[apex (geometry)|''apex'']]; the shortest segment between the base and apex is the [[height (triangle)|''height'']]. The [[area of a triangle]] equals one-half the product of height and base length.
== Types of triangles ==
 
In [[Euclidean geometry]], any two points determine a unique line segment situated within a unique [[straight line]], and any three points that do not [[collinearity|all lie on the same straight line]] determine a unique triangle situated within a unique flat [[plane (geometry)|plane]]. More generally, four points in [[three-dimensional Euclidean space]] determine a [[solid figure]] called ''[[tetrahedron]]''.
Triangles can be classified according to the relative lengths of their sides:
* In an '''equilateral triangle''', all sides are of equal length. An equilateral triangle is also '''equiangular''', i.e. all its internal [[angle]]s are equal&mdash;namely, 60°; it is a [[Polygon#Taxonomic classification|regular polygon]]<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/EquilateralTriangle.html</ref>
* In an '''isosceles triangle''', at least two sides are of equal length. An isosceles triangle also has two congruent angles (namely, the angles opposite the congruent sides). An equilateral triangle is also an isosceles triangle, but not all isosceles triangles are equilateral triangles.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/IsoscelesTriangle.html</ref>
* In a '''scalene triangle''', all sides have different lengths. The intern­al angles in a scalene triangle are all different.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ScaleneTriangle.html</ref>
 
In [[non-Euclidean geometries]], three "straight" segments (having zero [[Geodesic curvature|curvature]]) also determine a "triangle", for instance, a [[spherical triangle]] or [[hyperbolic triangle]]. A [[geodesic triangle]] is a region of a general two-dimensional [[surface (mathematics)|surface]] enclosed by three sides that are straight relative to the surface ([[geodesic]]s). A ''{{vanchor|curvilinear}} triangle'' is a shape with three [[curved]] sides, for instance, a ''[[circular triangle]]'' with [[circular arc|circular-arc]] sides. (This article is about straight-sided triangles in Euclidean geometry, except where otherwise noted.)
<table align="center"><tr align="center">
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Equilateral.svg|Equilateral Triangle]]</td>
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Isosceles.svg|Isosceles triangle]]</td>
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Scalene.svg|Scalene triangle]]</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td>Equilateral</td><td>Isosceles</td><td>Scalene</td>
</tr>
</table>
 
Triangles are classified into different types based on their angles and the lengths of their sides. Relations between angles and side lengths are a major focus of [[trigonometry]]. In particular, the [[trigonometric functions|sine, cosine, and tangent functions]] relate side lengths and angles in [[right triangle]]s.
Triangles can also be classified according to the size of their largest internal angle, described below using [[degree (angle)|degree]]s of arc.
== Definition, terminology, and types ==
* A '''[[Special right triangles|right triangle]]''' (or '''right-angled triangle''', formerly called a '''rectangled triangle''') has one 90° internal angle (a [[angle|right angle]]). The side opposite to the right angle is the [[hypotenuse]]; it is the longest side in the right triangle. The other two sides are the ''legs'' or '''catheti''' (singular: '''[[wiktionary:cathetus|cathetus]]''') of the triangle.
A triangle is a figure consisting of three line segments, each of whose endpoints are connected.{{sfn|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}} This forms a polygon with three sides and three angles. The terminology for categorizing triangles is more than two thousand years old, having been defined in Book One of [[Euclid's Elements]].{{sfn|Byrne|2013|pp=xx–xxi}} The names used for modern classification are either a direct transliteration of Euclid's Greek or their Latin translations.
* An '''obtuse triangle''' has one internal angle larger than 90° (an [[angle|obtuse angle]]).
* An '''acute triangle''' has internal angles that are all smaller than 90° (three [[angle|acute angle]]s). An equilateral triangle is an acute triangle, but not all acute triangles are equilateral triangles.
 
{{anchor|Type of triangles}}Triangles have many types based on the length of the sides and the angles. A triangle whose sides are all the same length is an [[equilateral triangle]],<ref>{{multiref
<table align="center">
|{{harvnb|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}}
<tr align="center">
|{{harvnb|Heath|1926|loc=Definition 20}}
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Right.svg|Right triangle]]</td>
}}</ref> a triangle with two sides having the same length is an [[isosceles triangle]],<ref>{{multiref
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Obtuse.svg|Obtuse triangle]]</td>
|{{harvnb|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}}
<td>[[Image:Triangle.Acute.svg|Acute triangle]]</td>
|{{harvnb|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA91 91]}}
</tr>
}}</ref>{{efn|1=The definition by Euclid states that an isosceles triangle is a triangle with exactly two equal sides.{{sfn|Heath|1926|loc=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x001426155?urlappend=%3Bseq=207 p. 187, Definition 20]}} By the modern definition, it has at least two equal sides, implying that an equilateral triangle is a special case of isosceles triangle.{{sfn|Stahl|2003|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=jLk7lu3bA1wC&pg=PA37 p. 37]}}}} and a triangle with three different-length sides is a ''scalene triangle''.<ref>{{multiref
<tr align="center">
|{{harvnb|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA91 91]}}
<td>Right</td><td>Obtuse</td><td>Acute</td>
|{{harvnb|Usiskin|Griffin|2008|page=4}}
</tr>
}}</ref> A triangle in which one of the angles is a [[right angle]] is a [[right triangle]], a triangle in which all of its angles are less than that angle is an [[acute triangle]], and a triangle in which one of it angles is greater than that angle is an [[obtuse triangle]].<ref>{{multiref
</table>
|{{harvnb|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 44]}}
|{{harvnb|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA96 96]}}
}}</ref> These definitions date back at least to [[Euclid]].{{sfn|Heath|1926|loc=Definition 20, Definition 21}}
<gallery widths=180 heights=180 class="center" >
Triangle.Equilateral.svg|[[Equilateral triangle]]
Triangle.Isosceles.svg|[[Isosceles triangle]]
Triangle.Scalene.svg|Scalene triangle
</gallery>
<gallery widths=180 heights=180 class="center" >
Triangle.Right.svg|[[Right triangle]]
Triangle.Acute.svg|[[Acute triangle]]
Triangle.Obtuse.svg|[[Obtuse triangle]]
</gallery>
 
== Basic factsAppearances ==
[[File:Triangular dipyramid.png|thumb|A [[triangular bipyramid]] can be constructed by attaching two [[tetrahedron|tetrahedra]]. This polyhedron can be said to be a [[simplicial polyhedron]] because all of its faces are triangles. More specifically, when the faces are equilateral, it is categorized as a [[deltahedron]].]]
Elementary facts about triangles were presented by [[Euclid]] in books 1-4 of his ''[[Euclid's Elements|Elements]]'' around [[300 BCE]].
All types of triangles are commonly found in real life. In man-made construction, the isosceles triangles may be found in the shape of [[gable]]s and [[pediment]]s, and the equilateral triangle can be found in the yield sign.<ref>{{multiref
|{{harvp|Lardner|1840|p=46}}
|{{harvnb|Riley|Cochran|Ballard|1982}}
}}</ref> The faces of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] are sometimes considered to be equilateral, but more accurate measurements show they are isosceles instead.{{sfnp|Herz-Fischler|2000|p=}} Other appearances are in [[heraldic]] symbols as in the [[flag of Saint Lucia]] and [[flag of the Philippines]].{{sfnp|Guillermo|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wmgX9M_yETIC&pg=PA161 161]}}
 
Triangles also appear in three-dimensional objects. A [[polyhedron]] is a solid whose boundary is covered by flat [[polygonal]]s known as the faces, sharp corners known as the vertices, and line segments known as the edges. Polyhedra in some cases can be classified, judging from the shape of their faces. For example, when polyhedra have all equilateral triangles as their faces, they are known as [[deltahedron|deltahedra]].{{sfnp|Cundy|1952}} [[Antiprism]]s have alternating triangles on their sides.{{sfnp|Montroll|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SeTqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}} [[Pyramid (geometry)|Pyramid]]s and [[bipyramid]]s are polyhedra with polygonal bases and triangles for lateral faces; the triangles are isosceles whenever they are right pyramids and bipyramids. The [[Kleetope]] of a polyhedron is a new polyhedron made by replacing each face of the original with a pyramid, and so the faces of a Kleetope will be triangles.<ref>{{multiref
A triangle is a [[polygon]] and a 2-[[simplex]] (see [[polytope]]). All triangles are two-[[dimension]]al.
|{{harvp|Lardner|1840|p=46}}
|{{harvp|Montroll|2009|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SeTqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 6]}}
}}</ref> More generally, triangles can be found in higher dimensions, as in the generalized notion of triangles known as the [[simplex]], and the [[polytope]]s with triangular [[facet]]s known as the [[simplicial polytope]]s.{{sfnp|Cromwell|1997|p=341}}
 
== Properties ==
An exterior angle of a triangle (an angle that is adjacent and supplementary to an internal angle is always equal to the two angles of a triangle that it is not adjacent/supplementary to.
=== Points, lines, and circles associated with a triangle ===
{{main article|Encyclopedia of Triangle Centers}}
Each triangle has many special points inside it, on its edges, or otherwise associated with it. They are constructed by finding three lines associated symmetrically with the three sides (or vertices) and then proving that the three lines meet in a single point. An important tool for proving the existence of these points is [[Ceva's theorem]], which gives a criterion for determining when three such lines are [[concurrent lines|concurrent]].{{sfn|Holme|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zXwQGo8jyHUC&pg=PA210 210]}} Similarly, lines associated with a triangle are often constructed by proving that three symmetrically constructed points are [[collinear]]; here [[Menelaus' theorem]] gives a useful general criterion.{{sfn|Holme|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zXwQGo8jyHUC&pg=PA143 143]}} In this section, just a few of the most commonly encountered constructions are explained.
 
A [[bisection|perpendicular bisector]] of a side of a triangle is a straight line passing through the [[midpoint]] of the side and being perpendicular to it, forming a right angle with it.{{sfn|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 126&ndash;127]}} The three perpendicular bisectors meet in a single point, the triangle's [[circumcenter]]; this point is the center of the [[circumcircle]], the circle passing through all three vertices.{{sfn|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA128 128]}} [[Thales' theorem]] implies that if the circumcenter is located on the side of the triangle, then the angle opposite that side is a right angle.{{sfn|Anglin|Lambek|1995|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=flblBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA30 30]}} If the circumcenter is located inside the triangle, then the triangle is acute; if the circumcenter is located outside the triangle, then the triangle is obtuse.{{sfn|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA105 105]}}
Also, the exterior angles (3 total) of a triangle measure up to 360 degrees.
{{multipleimage
| align = center
| total_width = 600
| footer =
| image1 = Triangle.Circumcenter.svg
| image2 = Triangle.Incircle.svg
| image3 = Triangle.Centroid.svg
| image4 = Triangle.Orthocenter.svg
| caption1 = The intersection of perpendicular bisectors is the [[circumcenter]].
| caption2 = The intersection of the angle bisectors is the [[incenter]]
| caption3 = The intersection of the medians known as the [[centroid]]
| caption4 = The intersection of the altitudes is the [[orthocenter]]
}}
 
An [[altitude (triangle)|altitude]] of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex and perpendicular to the opposite side. This opposite side is called the base of the altitude, and the point where the altitude intersects the base (or its extension) is called the foot of the altitude.<ref>{{multiref
Two triangles are said to be ''[[similarity (mathematics)|similar]]'' if and only if the angles of one are equal to the corresponding angles of the other. In this case, the lengths of their corresponding sides are [[Proportionality (mathematics)|proportional]]. This occurs for example when two triangles share an angle and the sides opposite to that angle are parallel.
|{{harvnb|Lang|Murrow|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pc_kBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 84]}}
|{{harvnb|King|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6UgrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78 78]}}
}}</ref> The length of the altitude is the distance between the base and the vertex. The three altitudes intersect in a single point, called the [[orthocenter]] of the triangle.{{sfn|King|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6UgrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153 153]}} The orthocenter lies inside the triangle if and only if the triangle is acute.{{sfn|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA106 106]}}
 
{{multiple image
A few basic postulates and theorems about similar triangles:
| total_width = 400
Two triangles are similar if at least 2 corresponding angles are congruent.
| image1 = Triangle.NinePointCircle.svg
If two corresponding sides of two triangles are in proportion, and their included angles are congruent, the triangles are similar.
| image2 = Triangle.EulerLine.svg
If three sides of two triangles are in proportion, the triangles are similar.
| footer = [[Nine-point circle]] demonstrates a symmetry where six points lie on the edge of the triangle. [[Euler's line]] is a straight line through the orthocenter (blue), the center of the nine-point circle (red), centroid (orange), and circumcenter (green).
}}
An [[angle bisector]] of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex that cuts the corresponding angle in half. The three angle bisectors intersect in a single point, the [[incenter]], which is the center of the triangle's [[incircle]]. The incircle is the circle that lies inside the triangle and touches all three sides. Its radius is called the inradius. There are three other important circles, the [[excircle]]s; they lie outside the triangle and touch one side, as well as the extensions of the other two. The centers of the incircles and excircles form an [[orthocentric system]].{{sfn|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA104 104]}} The midpoints of the three sides and the feet of the three altitudes all lie on a single circle, the triangle's [[nine-point circle]].{{sfn|King|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6UgrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 155]}} The remaining three points for which it is named are the midpoints of the portion of altitude between the vertices and the [[orthocenter]]. The radius of the nine-point circle is half that of the circumcircle. It touches the incircle (at the [[Nine-point circle|Feuerbach point]]) and the three [[excircle]]s. The orthocenter (blue point), the center of the nine-point circle (red), the centroid (orange), and the circumcenter (green) all lie on a single line, known as [[Euler's line]] (red line). The center of the nine-point circle lies at the midpoint between the orthocenter and the circumcenter, and the distance between the centroid and the circumcenter is half that between the centroid and the orthocenter.{{sfn|King|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6UgrEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 155]}} Generally, the incircle's center is not located on Euler's line.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lR0SDnl2bPwC&pg=PA4 | title=Geometry Turned On: Dynamic Software in Learning, Teaching, and Research | publisher=The Mathematical Association of America |author1=Schattschneider, Doris |author2=King, James | year=1997 | pages=3–4 | isbn=978-0883850992}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Edmonds | first1 = Allan L. | last2 = Hajja | first2 = Mowaffaq | last3 = Martini | first3 = Horst | doi = 10.1007/s00025-008-0294-4 | issue = 1–2 | journal = [[Results in Mathematics]] | mr = 2430410 | pages = 41–50 | quote = It is well known that the incenter of a Euclidean triangle lies on its Euler line connecting the centroid and the circumcenter if and only if the triangle is isosceles. | title = Orthocentric simplices and biregularity | volume = 52 | year = 2008 }}</ref>
 
A [[median (geometry)|median]] of a triangle is a straight line through a [[vertex (geometry)|vertex]] and the [[midpoint]] of the opposite side, and divides the triangle into two equal areas. The three medians intersect in a single point, the triangle's [[centroid]] or geometric barycenter. The centroid of a rigid triangular object (cut out of a thin sheet of uniform density) is also its [[center of mass]]: the object can be balanced on its centroid in a uniform gravitational field.{{sfn|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA102 102]}} The centroid cuts every median in the ratio 2:1, i.e. the distance between a vertex and the centroid is twice the distance between the centroid and the midpoint of the opposite side. If one reflects a median in the angle bisector that passes through the same vertex, one obtains a ''[[symmedian]]''. The three symmedians intersect in a single point, the [[symmedian point]] of the triangle.{{sfn|Holme|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zXwQGo8jyHUC&pg=PA240 240]}}
For two triangles to be congruent, each of their corresponding angles and sides must be congruent (6 total).
A few basic postulates and theorems about congruent triangles:
SAS Postulate: If two sides and the included angles of two triangles are correspondingly congruent, the two triangles are congruent.
SSS Postulate: If every side of two triangles are correspondingly congruent, the triangles are congruent.
ASA Postulate: If two angles and the included sides of two triangles are correspondingly congruent, the two triangles are congruent.
AAS Theorem: If two angles and any side of two triangles are correspondingly congruent, the two triangles are congruent.
Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem: If the hypotenuses and 1 pair of legs of two right triangles are correspondingly congruent, the triangles are congruent.
 
=== Angles ===
Using right triangles and the concept of similarity, the [[trigonometric function]]s sine and cosine can be defined. These are functions of an [[angle]] which are investigated in [[trigonometry]].
[[File:Triangle sommeangles.svg|thumb|The measures of the interior angles of the triangle always add up to 180 degrees (same color to point out they are equal).]]
The [[Sum of angles of a triangle|sum of the measures of the interior angles of a triangle]] in [[Euclidean space]] is always 180 degrees.{{sfn|Heath|1926|loc=Proposition 32}} This fact is equivalent to Euclid's [[parallel postulate]]. This allows the determination of the measure of the third angle of any triangle, given the measure of two angles.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|pages=107–109}} An ''[[exterior angle]]'' of a triangle is an angle that is a linear pair (and hence [[supplementary angle|supplementary]]) to an interior angle. The measure of an exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the two interior angles that are not adjacent to it; this is the [[exterior angle theorem]].{{sfn|Ramsay|Richtmyer|1995|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4CDpBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA38 38]}} The sum of the measures of the three exterior angles (one for each vertex) of any triangle is 360 degrees, and indeed, this is true for any convex polygon, no matter how many sides it has.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|pages=224–225}}
 
Another relation between the internal angles and triangles creates a new concept of [[trigonometric function]]s. The primary trigonometric functions are [[sine and cosine]], as well as the other functions. They can be defined as the [[Sine and cosine#Right-angled triangle definition|ratio between any two sides of a right triangle]].{{sfn|Young|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=476ZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27 27]}} In a scalene triangle, the trigonometric functions can be used to find the unknown measure of either a side or an internal angle; methods for doing so use the [[law of sines]] and the [[law of cosines]].{{sfn|Axler|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=B5RxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA634 634]}}
In Euclidean geometry, the sum of the internal angles of a triangle is equal to 180°. This allows determination of the third angle of any triangle as soon as two angles are known.
 
Any three angles that add to 180° can be the internal angles of a triangle. Infinitely many triangles have the same angles, since specifying the angles of a triangle does not determine its size. (A [[Degeneracy (mathematics)#Triangle|degenerate triangle]], whose vertices are [[collinearity|collinear]], has internal angles of 0° and 180°; whether such a shape counts as a triangle is a matter of convention.<ref>{{cite journal
[[Image:Pythagorean.svg|Pythagorean.svg|thumb|The Pythagorean theorem]]
| last1 = Richmond | first1 = Bettina | author1-link = Bettina Richmond
| last2 = Richmond | first2 = Thomas
| doi = 10.1080/00029890.1997.11990706
| issue = 8
| journal = [[The American Mathematical Monthly]]
| jstor = 2975234
| mr = 1476755
| pages = 713–719
| title = Metric spaces in which all triangles are degenerate
| volume = 104
| year = 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|type=PhD thesis|title=Making sense of definitions in geometry: Metric-combinatorial approaches to classifying triangles and quadrilaterals|last=Alonso|first=Orlando Braulio|publisher=Teachers College, Columbia University|year=2009|id={{ProQuest|304870039}}|page=57}}</ref>) The conditions for three angles <math> \alpha </math>, <math> \beta </math>, and <math> \gamma </math>, each of them between 0° and 180°, to be the angles of a triangle can also be stated using trigonometric functions. For example, a triangle with angles <math> \alpha </math>, <math> \beta </math>, and <math> \gamma </math> exists [[if and only if]]<ref>{{multiref
|{{harvnb|Verdiyan|Salas|2007}}
|{{harvnb|Longuet-Higgins|2003}}
}}</ref>
<math display="block"> \cos^2\alpha+\cos^2\beta+\cos^2\gamma+2\cos(\alpha)\cos(\beta)\cos(\gamma) = 1.</math>
 
=== Similarity and congruence ===
A central theorem is the [[Pythagorean theorem]] stating that in any right triangle, the area of the square on the [[hypotenuse]] is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides. If side C is the hypotenuse, we can write this as
[[File:Angle-angle-side_triangle_congruence.svg|thumb|This diagram illustrates the geometric principle of angle-angle-side triangle congruence: given triangle ABC and triangle A'B'C', triangle ABC is congruent with triangle A'B'C' if and only if: angle CAB is congruent with angle C'A'B', and angle ABC is congruent with angle A'B'C', and BC is congruent with B'C'. Note [[Hatch_mark#Congruency_notation|hatch marks]] are used here to show angle and side equalities.]]
Two triangles are said to be ''[[similarity (geometry)|similar]]'', if every angle of one triangle has the same measure as the corresponding angle in the other triangle. The corresponding sides of similar triangles have lengths that are in the same proportion, and this property is also sufficient to establish similarity.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|pages=157–167}}
 
Some basic [[theorem]]s about similar triangles are:
:<math>a^2 + b^2=c^2 \,</math>
* [[If and only if]] one pair of internal angles of two triangles have the same measure as each other, and another pair also have the same measure as each other, the triangles are similar.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|page=167}}
* If and only if one pair of corresponding sides of two triangles are in the same proportion as another pair of corresponding sides, and their included angles have the same measure, then the triangles are similar.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|page=171}} (The ''included angle'' for any two sides of a polygon is the internal angle between those two sides.)
* If and only if three pairs of corresponding sides of two triangles are all in the same proportion, then the triangles are similar.{{efn|1=Again, in all cases "mirror images" are also similar.}}
 
Two triangles that are [[Congruence (geometry)|congruent]] have exactly the same size and shape. All pairs of congruent triangles are also similar, but not all pairs of similar triangles are congruent. Given two congruent triangles, all pairs of corresponding interior angles are equal in measure, and all pairs of corresponding sides have the same length. This is a total of six equalities, but three are often sufficient to prove congruence.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|page=64}}
The converse is true; If, in a triangle, a squared plus b squared equals c squared, the triangle is a right triangle.
 
Some individually [[necessary and sufficient condition]]s for a pair of triangles to be congruent are:{{sfn|Gonick|2024|pages=65,72–73,111}}
A few basic theorems about right triangles:
* SAS Postulate: Two sides in a triangle have the same length as two sides in the other triangle, and the included angles have the same measure.
The acute angles of a right triangle are complementary.
* ASA: Two interior angles and the side between them in a triangle have the same measure and length, respectively, as those in the other triangle. (This is the basis of [[Triangulation (surveying)|surveying by triangulation]].)
If the legs of a right triangle are congruent, then.... the angles opposite the legs are congruent, which are also acute and complementary, and thus those opposite angles are both 45 degrees. The triangle is then called a 45-45 Right Triangle, and so, the leg of a 45-45 Right Triangle is equal to the hypotenuse divided by half times the square root of 2. Also, the hypotenuse is the leg times the square root of 2.
* SSS: Each side of a triangle has the same length as the corresponding side of the other triangle.
If the acute angles of a Right Triangle measure 30 and 60 degrees (a 30-60 right triangle), the opposite side (and the shortest side) of the 30 degree angle times two equals the hypotenuse. The side opposite the 60 degree angle equals the side opposite the 30 degree angle time the square root of 3.
* AAS: Two angles and a corresponding (non-included) side in a triangle have the same measure and length, respectively, as those in the other triangle. (This is sometimes referred to as ''AAcorrS'' and then includes ASA above.)
 
=== Area ===
Last, four definitions and two more right triangle theorems.
{{main article|Area of a triangle}}
Median: The 3 segments from each vertex of a triangle that go to the opposite side of the triangle in such a way that they bisect the opposite sides.
[[File:Triangle.GeometryArea.svg|upright=1.55|thumb|The area formula for a triangle can be proven by cutting two copies of the triangle into pieces and rearranging them into a rectangle.]]
Altitude: The 3 segments from each vertex of a triangle that go to the opposite side of the triangle in such a way that they are perpendicular to the opposite side. Note that in obtuse triangles, the altitudes drawn using the vertices of the acute angles do not hit the opposite sides, they hit the extended line of the opposite sides.
In the Euclidean plane, [[area]] is defined by comparison with a square of side length {{tmath|1}}, which has area 1. There are several ways to calculate the area of an arbitrary triangle. One of the oldest and simplest is to take half the product of the length of one side {{tmath|b}} (the base) times the corresponding altitude {{tmath|h}}:{{sfn|Ryan|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=b_qM4HImlPgC&pg=PA98 98]}}
Also, two altitudes of a right triangle are the legs. Therefore, a right triangle has only 1 drawable altitude.
<math display="block"> T = \tfrac{1}{2}bh. </math>
 
This formula can be proven by cutting up the triangle and an identical copy into pieces and rearranging the pieces into the shape of a rectangle of base {{tmath|b}} and height {{tmath|h}}.
Theorem: The median to the hypotenuse of a right triangle.... bisects it, however, the two congruent segments it cuts off are also congruent to the median itself, so the median actually creates three congruent segments.
 
[[File:Triangle.TrigArea.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Applying trigonometry to find the altitude {{math|1=''h''}}]]
Inscribed Triangle: A triangle that is completely inside a circle in such a way that the vertices of the triangle each are ON the circle.
If two sides {{tmath|a}} and {{tmath|b}} and their included angle <math> \gamma </math> are known, then the altitude can be calculated using trigonometry, {{tmath|1= h = a \sin(\gamma)}}, so the area of the triangle is:
Circumscribed triangle: A triangle that is completely outside of a circle in such a way that each side of the triangle hits ONLY 1 point on the circle each.
<math display="block"> T = \tfrac{1}{2}ab \sin \gamma. </math>
 
[[Heron's formula]], named after [[Heron of Alexandria]], is a formula for finding the area of a triangle from the lengths of its sides <math> a </math>, <math> b </math>, <math> c </math>. Letting <math> s = \tfrac12(a + b + c) </math> be the [[semiperimeter]],<ref>{{MacTutor|id=Heron |title=Heron of Alexandria}}</ref>
Theorem: In an right triangle that is inscribed in a circle, the hypotenuse is a diameter of the circle (this theorem is VERY easily noticeable if you use the last theorem, where the median hits the center of the circle, the median is a radius, and the two segments that it congruently cuts off are also radii.
<math display="block"> T = \sqrt{s(s - a)(s - b)(s - c)}. </math>
 
[[File:Lexell's theorem in the plane.png|thumb|Orange triangles {{math|△''ABC''}} share a base {{mvar|AB}} and area. The locus of their apex {{mvar|C}} is a line (dashed green) parallel to the base. This is the Euclidean version of [[Lexell's theorem]].]]
== Points, lines and circles associated with a triangle ==
Because the ratios between areas of shapes in the same plane are preserved by [[affine transformation]]s, the relative areas of triangles in any [[affine plane]] can be defined without reference to a notion of distance or squares. In any affine space (including Euclidean planes), every triangle with the same base and [[signed area|oriented area]] has its apex (the third vertex) on a line parallel to the base, and their common area is half of that of a [[parallelogram]] with the same base whose opposite side lies on the parallel line. This affine approach was developed in Book 1 of Euclid's ''Elements''.{{sfn|Heath|1926|loc=Propositions 36–41}}
There are hundreds of different constructions that find a special point inside a triangle, satisfying some unique property: see the references section for a catalogue of them. Often they are constructed by finding three lines associated in a symmetrical way with the three sides (or vertices) and then proving that the three lines meet in a single point: an important tool for proving the existence of these is [[Ceva's theorem]], which gives a criterion for determining when three such lines are [[concurrent lines|concurrent]]. Similarly, lines associated with a triangle are often constructed by proving that three symmetrically constructed points are [[collinear]]: here [[Menelaus' theorem]] gives a useful general criterion. In this section just a few of the most commonly-encountered constructions are explained.
 
Given [[affine coordinates]] (such as [[Cartesian coordinates]]) {{tmath|(x_A, y_A)}}, {{tmath|(x_B, y_B)}}, {{tmath|(x_C, y_C)}} for the vertices of a triangle, its relative oriented area can be calculated using the [[shoelace formula]],
[[Image:Triangle.Circumcenter.svg|frame|right|The [[circumcenter]] is the centre of a circle passing through the three vertices of the triangle.]]
 
<math display=block>\begin{align}
A [[bisection|perpendicular bisector]] of a triangle is a straight line passing through the midpoint of a side and being perpendicular to it, i.e. forming a right angle with it. The three perpendicular bisectors meet in a single point, the triangle's [[circumcenter]]; this point is the center of the [[circumcircle]], the [[circle]] passing through all three vertices. The diameter of this circle can be found from the law of sines stated above.
T &= \tfrac12 \begin{vmatrix}x_A & x_B & x_C \\ y_A & y_B & y_C \\ 1 & 1 & 1\end{vmatrix}
= \tfrac12 \begin{vmatrix} x_A & x_B \\ y_A & y_B \end{vmatrix}
+ \tfrac12 \begin{vmatrix} x_B & x_C \\ y_B & y_C \end{vmatrix}
+ \tfrac12 \begin{vmatrix} x_C & x_A \\ y_C & y_A \end{vmatrix} \\
&= \tfrac12(x_Ay_B - x_By_A + x_By_C - x_Cy_B + x_Cy_A - x_Ay_C),
\end{align}</math>
 
where <math>| \cdot |</math> is the [[matrix determinant]].<ref>{{cite journal |first=Bart |last=Braden |title=The Surveyor's Area Formula |journal=The College Mathematics Journal |volume=17 |issue=4 |year=1986 |pages=326–337 |url=https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/pubs/Calc_Articles/ma063.pdf |doi=10.2307/2686282 |jstor=2686282 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629065751/https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/pubs/Calc_Articles/ma063.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Thales' theorem]] states that if the circumcenter is located on one side of the triangle, then the opposite angle is a right one. More is true: if the circumcenter is located inside the triangle, then the triangle is acute; if the circumcenter is located outside the triangle, then the triangle is obtuse.
 
=== Possible side lengths <span class="anchor" id="Inequality"></span> ===
[[Image:Triangle.Orthocenter.svg|frame|left|The intersection of the altitudes is the [[orthocenter]].]]
{{main article|Triangle inequality}}
The [[triangle inequality]] states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than or equal to the length of the third side.<ref>{{multiref
|{{harvnb|Gonick|2024|p=80}}
|{{harvnb|Apostol|1997|p=34–35}}
}}</ref> Conversely, some triangle with three given positive side lengths exists if and only if those side lengths satisfy the triangle inequality.{{sfn|Smith|2000|p=86–87}} The sum of two side lengths can equal the length of the third side only in the case of a [[degenerate triangle]], one with collinear vertices.
 
=== Rigidity ===
An [[altitude (triangle)|altitude]] of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex and perpendicular to (i.e. forming a right angle with) the opposite side. This opposite side is called the ''base'' of the altitude, and the point where the altitude intersects the base (or its extension) is called the ''foot'' of the altitude. The length of the altitude is the distance between the base and the vertex. The three altitudes intersect in a single point, called the [[orthocenter]] of the triangle. The orthocenter lies inside the triangle if and only if the triangle is acute.
{{main article|Structural rigidity}}
The three vertices together with the orthocenter are said to form an [[orthocentric system]].
[[File:Structural rigidity basic examples.svg|thumb|Rigidity of a triangle and square]]
Unlike a rectangle, which may collapse into a [[parallelogram]] from pressure to one of its points,{{sfn|Jordan|Smith|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tevqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA834 834]}} triangles are sturdy because specifying the lengths of all three sides determines the angles.{{sfn|Gonick|2024|p=125}} Therefore, a triangle will not change shape unless its sides are bent or extended or broken or if its joints break; in essence, each of the three sides supports the other two. A rectangle, in contrast, is more dependent on the strength of its joints in a structural sense.
 
Triangles are strong in terms of rigidity, but while packed in a [[tessellation|tessellating]] arrangement triangles are not as strong as [[hexagon]]s under compression (hence the prevalence of hexagonal forms in [[nature]]). Tessellated triangles still maintain superior strength for [[cantilever]]ing, however, which is why engineering makes use of [[space frame|tetrahedral trusses]].{{cn|date=August 2024}}
[[Image:Triangle.Incircle.svg|frame|right|The intersection of the angle bisectors finds the center of the [[incircle]].]]
 
=== Triangulation ===
An [[angle bisector]] of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex which cuts the corresponding angle in half. The three angle bisectors intersect in a single point, the [[incenter]], the center of the triangle's [[incircle]]. The incircle is the circle which lies inside the triangle and touches all three sides. There are three other important circles, the [[excircle]]s; they lie outside the triangle and touch one side as well as the extensions of the other two. The centers of the in- and excircles form an [[orthocentric system]].
[[File:Triangulation 3-coloring.svg|thumb|Triangulation in a simple polygon]]
[[Triangulation (geometry)|Triangulation]] means the partition of any planar object into a collection of triangles. For example, in [[polygon triangulation]], a polygon is subdivided into multiple triangles that are attached edge-to-edge, with the property that their vertices coincide with the set of vertices of the polygon.{{sfn|Berg|Kreveld|Overmars|Schwarzkopf|2000}} In the case of a [[simple polygon]] with {{nowrap|1=<math> n </math>}} sides, there are <math> n - 2 </math> triangles that are separated by <math> n - 3 </math> diagonals. Triangulation of a simple polygon has a relationship to the [[Ear (mathematics)|ear]], a vertex connected by two other vertices, the diagonal between which lies entirely within the polygon. The [[two ears theorem]] states that every simple polygon that is not itself a triangle has at least two ears.{{sfn|Meisters|1975}}
 
== Location of a point ==
<br clear=left>
One way to identify locations of points in (or outside) a triangle is to place the triangle in an arbitrary ___location and orientation in the [[Cartesian plane]], and to use Cartesian coordinates. While convenient for many purposes, this approach has the disadvantage of all points' coordinate values being dependent on the arbitrary placement in the plane.{{sfn|Oldknow|1995}}
[[Image:Triangle.Centroid.svg|frame|left|The [[centroid|barycenter]] is the center of gravity.]]
 
Two systems avoid that feature, so that the coordinates of a point are not affected by moving the triangle, rotating it, or reflecting it as in a mirror, any of which gives a congruent triangle, or even by rescaling it to a similar triangle:<ref>{{multiref
A [[median (geometry)|median]] of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex and the midpoint of the opposite side, and divides the triangle into two equal areas. The three medians intersect in a single point, the triangle's [[centroid]]. This is also the triangle's [[center of gravity]]: if the triangle were made out of wood, say, you could balance it on its centroid, or on any line through the centroid. The centroid cuts every median in the ratio 2:1, i.e. the distance between a vertex and the centroid is twice as large as the distance between the centroid and the midpoint of the opposite side.
|{{harvnb|Oldknow|1995}}
|{{harvnb|Ericson|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WGpL6Sk9qNAC&pg=PA46 46&ndash;47]}}
}}</ref>
* [[Trilinear coordinates]] specify the relative distances of a point from the sides, so that coordinates <math>x : y : z</math> indicate that the ratio of the distance of the point from the first side to its distance from the second side is <math>x : y </math>, etc.
* [[Barycentric coordinates (mathematics)|Barycentric coordinates]] of the form <math>\alpha :\beta :\gamma</math> specify the point's ___location by the relative weights that would have to be put on the three vertices in order to balance the otherwise weightless triangle on the given point.
 
== Related figures ==
[[Image:Triangle.NinePointCircle.svg|frame|right|[[Nine-point circle]] demonstrates a symmetry where six points lie on the same circle.]]
=== Figures inscribed in a triangle ===
As discussed above, every triangle has a unique inscribed circle (incircle) that is interior to the triangle and tangent to all three sides. Every triangle has a unique [[Steiner inellipse]] which is interior to the triangle and tangent at the midpoints of the sides. [[Marden's theorem]] shows how to find the [[Ellipse#Elements of an ellipse|foci of this ellipse]].{{sfn|Kalman|2008}} This ellipse has the greatest area of any ellipse tangent to all three sides of the triangle. The [[Mandart inellipse]] of a triangle is the ellipse inscribed within the triangle tangent to its sides at the contact points of its excircles. For any ellipse inscribed in a triangle <math> ABC </math>, let the foci be <math> P </math> and <math> Q </math>, then:{{sfn|Allaire|Zhou|Yao|2012}}
<math display="block"> \frac{\overline{PA} \cdot \overline{QA}}{\overline{CA} \cdot \overline{AB}} + \frac{\overline{PB} \cdot \overline{QB}}{\overline{AB} \cdot \overline{BC}} + \frac{\overline{PC} \cdot \overline{QC}}{\overline{BC} \cdot \overline{CA}} = 1. </math>
 
{{multiple image
The midpoints of the three sides and the feet of the three altitudes all lie on a single circle, the triangle's [[nine-point circle]]. The remaining three points for which it is named are the midpoints of the portion of altitude between the vertices and the [[orthocenter]]. The radius of the nine-point circle is half that of the circumcircle. It touches the incircle (at the [[Feuerbach point]]) and the three [[excircle]]s.
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| image1 = Pedal Triangle.svg
| image2 = Intouch Triangle and Gergonne Point.svg
| footer = The [[pedal triangle]] and [[Gergonne triangle]]
}}
From an interior point in a reference triangle, the nearest points on the three sides serve as the vertices of the [[pedal triangle]] of that point. If the interior point is the circumcenter of the reference triangle, the vertices of the pedal triangle are the midpoints of the reference triangle's sides, and so the pedal triangle is called the [[midpoint triangle]] or medial triangle. The midpoint triangle subdivides the reference triangle into four congruent triangles which are similar to the reference triangle.{{sfn|Coxeter|Greitzer|1967|pp=18,23–25}}
 
The [[intouch triangle]] of a reference triangle has its vertices at the three points of tangency of the reference triangle's sides with its incircle.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kimberling |first=Clark |date=March 2008 |title=Twenty-one points on the nine-point circle |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002555720018249X/type/journal_article |journal=The Mathematical Gazette |language=en |volume=92 |issue=523 |pages=29–38 |doi=10.1017/S002555720018249X |issn=0025-5572|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The [[extouch triangle]] of a reference triangle has its vertices at the points of tangency of the reference triangle's excircles with its sides (not extended).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Moses |first1=Peter |last2=Kimberling |first2=Charles |date=2009 |title=Reflection-Induced Perspectivities Among Triangles |url=https://www.heldermann-verlag.de/jgg/jgg13/j13h1mose.pdf |journal=Journal for Geometry and Graphics |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=15–24}}</ref>
<br clear=left>
[[Image:Triangle.EulerLine.svg|frame|left|[[Euler's line]] is a straight line through the centroid (orange), orthocenter (blue), circumcenter (green) and center of the nine-point circle (red).]]
 
[[File:Calabi triangle.svg|thumb|The [[Calabi triangle]] and the three placements of its largest square. The placement on the long side of the triangle is inscribed; the other two are not.]]
The centroid (yellow), orthocenter (blue), circumcenter (green) and barycenter of the nine-point circle (red point) all lie on a single line, known as [[Euler's line]] (red line). The center of the nine-point circle lies at the midpoint between the orthocenter and the circumcenter, and the distance between the centroid and the circumcenter is half that between the centroid and the orthocenter.
[[Inscribed square in a triangle|The inscribed squares tangent their vertices to the triangle's sides]] is the special case of [[inscribed square problem]], although the problem asking for a square whose vertices lie on a [[simple closed curve]]. A notable example of this figure relation is the [[Calabi triangle]] in which the vertices of every three squares are tangent to all obtuse triangle's sides. Every acute triangle has three inscribed squares (squares in its interior such that all four of a square's vertices lie on a side of the triangle, so two of them lie on the same side and hence one side of the square coincides with part of a side of the triangle). In a right triangle, two of the squares coincide and have a vertex at the triangle's right angle, so a right triangle has only two ''distinct'' inscribed squares. An obtuse triangle has only one inscribed square, with a side coinciding with part of the triangle's longest side. Within a given triangle, a longer common side is associated with a smaller inscribed square. If an inscribed square has a side of length <math> q_a </math> and the triangle has a side of length <math> a </math>, part of which side coincides with a side of the square, then <math> q_a </math>, <math> a </math>, <math> h_a </math> from the side <math> a </math>, and the triangle's area <math> T </math> are related according to<ref>{{multiref
|{{harvnb|Bailey|Detemple|1998}}
|{{harvnb|Oxman|Stupel|2013}}
}}</ref><math display="block"> q_a=\frac{2Ta}{a^2+2T} = \frac{ah_a}{a+h_a}. </math>The largest possible ratio of the area of the inscribed square to the area of the triangle is 1/2, which occurs when <math> a^2 = 2T </math>, <math> q = a/2 </math>, and the altitude of the triangle from the base of length <math> a </math> is equal to <math> a </math>. The smallest possible ratio of the side of one inscribed square to the side of another in the same non-obtuse triangle is <math>2\sqrt{2}/3</math>.{{sfn|Oxman|Stupel|2013}} Both of these extreme cases occur for the isosceles right triangle.{{cn|date=August 2024}}
 
[[File:Lemoine Hexagon.svg|thumb|The Lemoine hexagon inscribed in a triangle]]
The center of the incircle is not in general located on Euler's line.
The [[Lemoine hexagon]] is a [[hexagon#Cyclic hexagon|cyclic hexagon]] with vertices given by the six intersections of the sides of a triangle with the three lines that are parallel to the sides and that pass through its [[symmedian point]]. In either its [[polygon#Convexity and types of non-convexity|simple form or its self-intersecting form]], the Lemoine hexagon is interior to the triangle with two vertices on each side of the triangle.{{cn|date=August 2024}}
 
Every [[convex polygon]] with area <math> T </math> can be inscribed in a triangle of area at most equal to <math> 2T </math>. Equality holds only if the polygon is a [[parallelogram]].{{sfn|Eggleston|2007|pp=149–160}}
If one reflects a median at the angle bisector that passes through the same vertex, one obtains a [[symmedian]]. The three symmedians intersect in a single point, the [[symmedian point]] of the triangle.
<br clear=all>
 
=== ComputingFigures thecircumscribed area ofabout a triangle ===
{{multiple image
Calculating the area of a triangle is an elementary problem encountered often in many different situations. Various approaches exist, depending on what is known about the triangle. What follows is a selection of frequently used formulae for the area of a triangle.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/TriangleArea.html</ref>
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| image1 = Tangential triangle.svg
| image2 = Steiner ellipse.svg
| footer = The circumscribed circle tangent to a triangle and the [[Steiner circumellipse]]
}}
The [[tangential triangle]] of a reference triangle (other than a right triangle) is the triangle whose sides are on the [[tangent line]]s to the reference triangle's circumcircle at its vertices.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smith |first1=Geoff |last2=Leversha |first2=Gerry |title=Euler and triangle geometry |journal=Mathematical Gazette |volume=91 |date=November 2007 |issue=522 |pages=436–452 |doi=10.1017/S0025557200182087 |jstor=40378417}}</ref>
 
As mentioned above, every triangle has a unique circumcircle, a circle passing through all three vertices, whose center is the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of the triangle's sides. Furthermore, every triangle has a unique [[Steiner ellipse|Steiner circumellipse]], which passes through the triangle's vertices and has its center at the triangle's centroid. Of all ellipses going through the triangle's vertices, it has the smallest area.<ref>{{cite journal|first=John R. |last=Silvester |title=Extremal area ellipses of a convex quadrilateral |journal=The Mathematical Gazette |volume=101 |number=550 |date=March 2017 |pages=11–26 |doi=10.1017/mag.2017.2 }}</ref>
===Using vectors===
The area of a parallelogram can also be calculated by the use of [[Vector (spatial)|vectors]]. If ''AB'' and ''AC'' are vectors pointing from A to B and from A to C, respectively, the area of parallelogram ABDC is |''AB''&nbsp;×&nbsp;''AC''|, the magnitude of the [[cross product]] of vectors ''AB'' and ''AC''. |''AB''&nbsp;×&nbsp;''AC''| is also equal to |''h''&nbsp;×&nbsp;''AC''|, where ''h'' represents the altitude ''h'' as a vector.
 
The [[Kiepert hyperbola]] is unique [[conic]] that passes through the triangle's three vertices, its centroid, and its circumcenter.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eddy |first1=R. H. |last2=Fritsch |first2=R. |title=The Conics of Ludwig Kiepert: A Comprehensive Lesson in the Geometry of the Triangle |journal=Mathematics Magazine |date=1994 |volume=67 |issue=3 |pages=188–205|doi=10.1080/0025570X.1994.11996212 }}</ref>
The area of triangle ABC is half of this, or ''S''&nbsp;=&nbsp;½|''AB''&nbsp;×&nbsp;''AC''|.
 
Of all triangles contained in a given [[convex polygon]], one with maximal area can be found in linear time; its vertices may be chosen as three of the vertices of the given polygon.{{sfn|Chandran|Mount|1992}}
The area of triangle ABC can also be expressed in term of [[dot product]]s as follows:
 
== Miscellaneous triangles ==
:<math>
=== Circular triangles ===
\frac{1}{2} \sqrt{(\mathbf{AB} \cdot \mathbf{AB})(\mathbf{AC} \cdot \mathbf{AC}) -(\mathbf{AB} \cdot \mathbf{AC})^2} =\frac{1}{2} \sqrt{ |\mathbf{AB}|^2 |\mathbf{AC}|^2 -(\mathbf{AB} \cdot \mathbf{AC})^2} \, .
{{main article|Circular triangle}}
</math>
[[File:Circular_triangles_convex_concave.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Circular triangles with a mixture of convex and concave edges]]
A [[circular triangle]] is a triangle with circular [[Arc (geometry)|arc]] edges. The edges of a circular triangle may be either convex (bending outward) or concave (bending inward).{{efn|1=A subset of a plane is [[convex set|convex]] if, given any two points in that subset, the whole line segment joining them also lies within that subset.}} The intersection of three [[Disk (mathematics)|disk]]s forms a circular triangle whose sides are all convex. An example of a circular triangle with three convex edges is a [[Reuleaux triangle]], which can be made by intersecting three circles of equal size. The construction may be performed with a compass alone without needing a straightedge, by the [[Mohr–Mascheroni theorem]]. Alternatively, it can be constructed by rounding the sides of an equilateral triangle.<ref>{{multiref
|{{harvnb|Hann|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-CX-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 34]}}
|{{harvnb|Hungerbühler|1994}}
}}</ref>
 
A special case of concave circular triangle can be seen in a [[pseudotriangle]].{{sfn|Vahedi|van der Stappen|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SLo6okq4wVgC&pg=PA73 73]}} A pseudotriangle is a [[Simply connected space|simply-connected]] subset of the plane lying between three mutually tangent convex regions. These sides are three smoothed curved lines connecting their endpoints called the ''cusp points''. Any pseudotriangle can be partitioned into many pseudotriangles with the boundaries of convex disks and [[Bitangent|bitangent lines]], a process known as pseudo-triangulation. For <math> n </math> disks in a pseudotriangle, the partition gives <math> 2n - 2 </math> pseudotriangles and <math> 3n - 3 </math> bitangent lines.{{sfn|Pocchiola|Vegter|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vtkaCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA259 259]}} The [[convex hull]] of any pseudotriangle is a triangle.{{sfn|Devadoss|O'Rourke|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=InJL6iAaIQQC&pg=PA93 93]}}
[[Image:Triangle.TrigArea.svg|frame|left|Applying trigonometry to find the altitude ''h''.]]
 
=== Triangle in non-planar space ===
===Using trigonometry===
{{main article|Hyperbolic triangle|Spherical triangle}}
The altitude of a triangle can be found through an application of [[trigonometry]]. Using the labelling as in the image on the left, the altitude is ''h''&nbsp;=&nbsp;''a''&nbsp;sin&nbsp;γ. Substituting this in the formula ''S''&nbsp;=&nbsp;½''bh'' derived above, the area of the triangle can be expressed as:
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Hyperbolic triangle.svg
| image2 = Triangle trirectangle.png
| footer = [[Hyperbolic triangle]] and [[spherical triangle]]
}}
A non-planar triangle is a triangle not embedded in a [[Euclidean space]], roughly speaking a flat space. This means triangles may also be discovered in several spaces, as in [[hyperbolic space]] and [[spherical geometry]]. A triangle in hyperbolic space is called a [[hyperbolic triangle]], and it can be obtained by drawing on a negatively curved surface, such as a [[saddle surface]]. Likewise, a triangle in spherical geometry is called a [[spherical triangle]], and it can be obtained by drawing on a positively curved surface such as a [[sphere]].{{sfn|Nielsen|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hHMjEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA154 154]}}
 
The triangles in both spaces have properties different from the triangles in Euclidean space. For example, as mentioned above, the internal angles of a triangle in Euclidean space always add up to 180°. However, the sum of the internal angles of a hyperbolic triangle is less than 180°, and for any spherical triangle, the sum is more than 180°.{{sfn|Nielsen|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hHMjEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA154 154]}} In particular, it is possible to draw a triangle on a sphere such that the measure of each of its internal angles equals 90°, adding up to a total of 270°. By [[Girard's theorem]], the sum of the angles of a triangle on a sphere is <math> 180^\circ \times (1 + 4f) </math>, where <math> f </math> is the fraction of the sphere's area enclosed by the triangle.<ref>{{cite web|last=Polking |first=John C. |url=https://www.math.csi.cuny.edu/~ikofman/Polking/gos4.html |title=The area of a spherical triangle. Girard's Theorem. |website=Geometry of the Sphere |access-date=2024-08-19 |date=1999-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wood |first=John |url=https://homepages.math.uic.edu/~jwood/freshsem/ |title= LAS 100 — Freshman Seminar — Fall 1996: Reasoning with shape and quantity |access-date=2024-08-19}}</ref>
:<math>S = \frac{1}{2}ab\sin \gamma = \frac{1}{2}bc\sin \alpha = \frac{1}{2}ca\sin \beta.</math>
 
In more general spaces, there are [[comparison theorem]]s relating the properties of a triangle in the space to properties of a corresponding triangle in a model space like hyperbolic or elliptic space.{{sfn|Berger|2002|pp=134–139}} For example, a [[CAT(k) space]] is characterized by such comparisons.{{sfn|Ballmann|1995|p=viii+112}}
Furthermore, since sin α = sin (''π'' - α) = sin (β + γ), and similarly for the other two angles:
 
=== Fractal geometry ===
:<math>S = \frac{1}{2}ab\sin (\alpha+\beta) = \frac{1}{2}bc\sin (\beta+\gamma) = \frac{1}{2}ca\sin (\gamma+\alpha).</math>
[[Fractal]] shapes based on triangles include the [[Sierpiński triangle|Sierpiński gasket]] and the [[Koch snowflake]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Frame |first1=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2axEAAAQBAJ&dq=koch+sierpinski&pg=PA21 |title=Fractal Worlds: Grown, Built, and Imagined |last2=Urry |first2=Amelia |date=2016-06-21 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-22070-4 |pages=21 |language=en}}</ref>
 
===Using coordinates=References ==
=== Notes ===
If vertex A is located at the origin (0,&nbsp;0) of a [[Cartesian coordinate system]] and the coordinates of the other two vertices are given by B&nbsp;=&nbsp;(''x''<sub>B</sub>,&nbsp;''y''<sub>B</sub>) and C&nbsp;=&nbsp;(''x''<sub>C</sub>,&nbsp;''y''<sub>C</sub>), then the area ''S'' can be computed as ½ times the [[absolute value]] of the [[determinant]]
{{notelist|group=alpha}}
 
=== Footnotes ===
:<math>S=\frac{1}{2}\left|\det\begin{pmatrix}x_B & x_C \\ y_B & y_C \end{pmatrix}\right| = \frac{1}{2}|x_B y_C - x_C y_B|. </math>
{{reflist|30em}}
 
=== Works cited ===
For three general vertices, the equation is:
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{{refend}}
 
==External links==
:<math>S=\frac{1}{2} \left| \det\begin{pmatrix}x_A & x_B & x_C \\ y_A & y_B & y_C \\ 1 & 1 & 1\end{pmatrix} \right| = \frac{1}{2} \big| x_A y_C - x_A y_B + x_B y_A - x_B y_C + x_C y_B - x_C y_A \big|. </math>
{{Commons category|Triangles}}
 
{{Wiktionary}}
In three dimensions, the area of a general triangle {A&nbsp;=&nbsp;(''x''<sub>A</sub>,&nbsp;''y''<sub>A</sub>,&nbsp;''z''<sub>A</sub>), B&nbsp;=&nbsp;(''x''<sub>B</sub>,&nbsp;''y''<sub>B</sub>,&nbsp;''z''<sub>B</sub>) and C&nbsp;=&nbsp;(''x''<sub>C</sub>,&nbsp;''y''<sub>C</sub>,&nbsp;''z''<sub>C</sub>)} is the 'Pythagorean' sum of the areas of the respective projections on the three principal planes (i.e. ''x''=0, ''y''=0 and ''z''=0):
* {{SpringerEOM|title=Triangle|id=Triangle&oldid=18404|last=Ivanov|first=A.B.|mode=cs1}}
 
* Clark Kimberling: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120419171900/http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/encyclopedia/ETC.html Encyclopedia of triangle centers]. Lists some 5200 interesting points associated with any triangle.
:<math>S=\frac{1}{2} \sqrt{ \left( \det\begin{pmatrix} x_A & x_B & x_C \\ y_A & y_B & y_C \\ 1 & 1 & 1 \end{pmatrix} \right)^2 +
\left( \det\begin{pmatrix} y_A & y_B & y_C \\ z_A & z_B & z_C \\ 1 & 1 & 1 \end{pmatrix} \right)^2 +
\left( \det\begin{pmatrix} z_A & z_B & z_C \\ x_A & x_B & x_C \\ 1 & 1 & 1 \end{pmatrix} \right)^2 }. </math>
 
===Using Heron's formula===
The shape of the triangle is determined by the lengths of the sides alone. Therefore the area ''S'' also can be derived from the lengths of the sides. By [[Heron's formula]]:
:<math>S = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}</math>
 
where ''s''&nbsp;=&nbsp;½&nbsp;(''a''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''b''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''c'') is the '''semiperimeter''', or half of the triangle's perimeter.
 
An equivalent way of writing Heron's formula is
 
:<math> S = \frac{1}{4} \sqrt{2(a^2 b^2+a^2c^2+b^2c^2)-(a^4+b^4+c^4)}.</math>
 
== Non-planar triangles ==
A non-planar triangle is a triangle which is not contained in a (flat) plane. Examples of non-planar triangles in noneuclidean geometries are [[spherical triangle]]s in [[spherical geometry]] and [[hyperbolic triangle]]s in [[hyperbolic geometry]].
 
While all regular, planar (two dimensional) triangles contain angles that add up to 180°, there are cases in which the angles of a triangle can be greater than or less than 180°. In curved figures, a triangle on a negatively curved figure ("saddle") will have its angles add up to less than 180° while a triangle on a positively curved figure ("sphere") will have its angles add up to more than 180°. Thus, if one were to draw a giant triangle on the surface of the Earth, one would find that the sum of its angles were greater than 180°.
 
==See also==
*[[Triangular number]]
 
==References==
<references/>
 
== External links ==
*[http://ostermiller.org/calc/triangle.html Triangle Calculator] - solves for remaining sides and angles when given three sides or angles, supports degrees and radians.
*[http://agutie.homestead.com/files/Napoleon0.htm Napoleon's theorem] A triangle with three equilateral triangles. A purely geometric proof. It uses the Fermat point to prove Napoleon's theorem without transformations by Antonio Gutierrez from "Geometry Step by Step from the Land of the Incas"
* [[William Kahan]]: [http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~wkahan/Triangle.pdf Miscalculating Area and Angles of a Needle-like Triangle].
* Clark Kimberling: [http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/encyclopedia/ETC.html Encyclopedia of triangle centers]. Lists some 3200 interesting points associated with any triangle.
* Christian Obrecht: [http://perso.wanadoo.fr/obrecht/ Eukleides]. Software package for creating illustrations of facts about triangles and other theorems in Euclidean geometry.
* [http://www.apronus.com/geometry/triangle.htm Proof that the sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees]
* [http://www.cut-the-knot.org/triangle Triangle constructions, remarkable points and lines, and metric relations in a triangle] at [[cut-the-knot]]
* [http://www.vias.org/comp_geometry/geom_triangle.html Compendium Geometry] Analytical Geometry of Triangles
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~se16/hgb/triangle.htm Area of a triangle - 7 different ways]
* [http://www.mathopenref.com/tocs/triangletoc.html Triangle definition pages] with interactive applets that are also useful in a classroom setting. Math Open Reference
Animated demonstrations of constructions using compass and straightedge:
* [http://www.mathopenref.com/constequilateral.html Equilateral triangle ] , [http://www.mathopenref.com/constisosceles.html Isosceles triangle ] , [http://www.mathopenref.com/constcopytriangle.html Copying a Triangle] ,
* [http://www.mathopenref.com/consttrianglesas.html Given 2 sides and included angle (SAS)]
* [http://www.mathopenref.com/consttriangleasa.html Given 2 angles and included side(ASA)]
* [http://www.mathopenref.com/consttrianglesss.html Given all three sides (SSS)]
 
{{Polygons}}
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