Right-Angled Triangles
A right-angled triangle (also called a right triangle) has a right angle (90°) in it.
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The little square in the corner tells us it is a right angled triangle (I also put 90°, but you don't need to!) |
The right angled triangle is one of the most useful shapes in all of mathematics!
It is used in the Pythagoras Theorem and Sine, Cosine and Tangent and more.
Try it yourself (drag the points):
geometry/images/triangle.js?mode=right
Two Types
There are two types of right angled triangle:
Isosceles right-angled triangle
- One right angle
- Two other equal angles always of 45°
- Two equal sides
Scalene right-angled triangle
- One right angle
- Two other unequal angles
- No equal sides
Example: The 3,4,5 Triangle
The "3,4,5 Triangle" has a right angle in it.
(Draw one if you ever need a right angle!)
It has no equal sides so it is a scalene right-angled triangle
And, like all triangles, the three angles always add up to 180°.
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