Notes
three right-angled triangles solution

Three Right-Angled Triangles

Three Right-Angled Triangles

This pattern is made from three right angled triangles. The two red lengths are equal. What’s the pink area?

Solution by Area of a Triangle and Corresponding Angles

Three right-angled triangles labelled

In the above diagram, the point labelled HH is such that HFH F is parallel to ADA D.

Consider the two triangles GFAG F A and EDAE D A. The lengths of GFG F and EDE D are given to be the same, and the “height” of AA above these two “bases” is the same, so their area is the same. As triangles GHFG H F and ECDE C D are both right-angled, have the same length hypotenuse, and angles GF^HG \hat{F} H and ED^CE \hat{D} C are corresponding angles, these two triangles are congruent and so have the same area. Therefore triangles EACE A C and HFAH F A have the same area.

Quadrilateral FHABF H A B is a rectangle since HFH F is parallel to ABA B and angle HA^BH \hat{A} B is a right-angle, so triangles FHAF H A and FBAF B A have the same area.

Therefore triangles FBAF B A and ECAE C A have the same area. The triangle IBAI B A is their common overlap, so the regions FIAF I A and EIBCE I B C have the same area. Therefore the pink region has area 77.