Notes
three isoscelese triangles inside a triangle solution

Three Isosceles Triangles Inside a Triangle

Three Isoscelese Triangles Inside a Triangle

The three shaded triangles are isosceles. What’s the missing angle?

Solution by Angles at a Point, Angles on a Straight Line, Angles in a Triangle, Angles in a Quadrilateral

Three isosceles triangles in a triangle labelled

With the points labelled as in the diagram, let aa be angle EO^AE \hat{O} A, bb angle BO^DB \hat{O} D, and cc angle AO^BA \hat{O} B. Then as angles at a point add up to 360 360^\circ, c=360 35 abc = 360^\circ - 35^\circ - a - b.

Triangle EOAE O A is isosceles so angle AE^OA \hat{E} O is 180 a2=90 a2\frac{180^\circ - a}{2} = 90^\circ - \frac{a}{2} as angles in a triangle add up to 180 180^\circ. So since angles at a point on a straight line also add up to 180 180^\circ, angle OE^CO \hat{E} C is 90 +a290^\circ + \frac{a}{2}. A similar argument shows that angle CD^OC \hat{D} O is 90 +b290^\circ + \frac{b}{2}.

Since the angles in a quadrilateral add up to 360 360^\circ, considering quadrilateral ODCEO D C E gives the equation:

50 +35 +90 +a2+90 b2=360 50^\circ + 35^\circ + 90^\circ + \frac{a}{2} + 90^\circ \frac{b}{2} = 360^\circ

and this simplifies to a+b=190 a + b = 190^\circ. Hence c=135 c = 135^\circ.