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The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

The Pythagorean Theorem - Educational Outreach

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By the <strong>Pythagorean</strong> <strong>The</strong>orem, we have:aa22 b2 ( ab bab) 0 15 a b 2 aa b b22This last result can be summarized as follows.If one short side of a right triangle is the geometric mean ofthe hypotenuse and the remaining short side, then the ratioof the hypotenuse to the remaining short side is the GoldenRatio .In triangle ABD to the right, all threetriangles ABD , ABC , and ACD are isosceles. Inaddition, the two triangles ABD and ACD are similar: ABD ACD . We have by proportionality rules:a b a a b22a ab b 0 a bThus, in Figure 4.15, ABD has been sectioned as tocreate the Golden Ratio between the slant height andbase for the two similar triangles ABC and ACD .Figure 4.16 aptly displays the inherent, unlabeled beautyof the Golden Ratio when applied to our two triangles.159

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