Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a) 1 and 2 → d = √ 12 + 22 ⇔ d = √ 5
b) 3 and 5 → d = √ 3 2 + 5 2 ⇔ d = √ 34
c) 4 and 7 → d = √ 4 2 + 7 2 ⇔ d = √ 65
d) r and 2r → d = √ r 2 + ( 2 r ) 2 ⇔ d = √5r2 ⇔ d = r √5
e) 3r and 5r → d = √ ( 3 r ) 2 + ( 5 r ) 2 ⇔ d = √ 34 r 2 ⇔d=r √ 34
f) 4r and 7r → d = √ ( 4 r ) 2 + ( 7 r ) 2 ⇔ d = √ 65 r 2 ⇔d=r √ 65
3. What is the length of the diagonal of a cube whose sides have length
[Hint: First compute the square of the length. Consider the diagonal of
the base square of the cube, and apply the Pythagoras theorem twice.]
e) r
2
square of the length of the edge r → r
2
square of the length of the diagonal of the base square = r √2 → 2r
Fig. 5-29
4. What is the length of the diagonal of a rectangular solid whose sides have
lengths
[Note: Use the formula from the first item of Exercise 5 below.]
a) 3, 4, 5 → d = √ 32 + 42 + 52 ⇔ d = √ 50 = 5 √2
b) 1, 2, 4 → d = √ 1 2 + 2 2 + 4 2 ⇔ d = √ 21
c) 2, 3, 5 → d = √ 2 2 + 3 2 + 5 2 ⇔ d = √ 38
d) 1, 3, 4 → d = √ 1 2 + 3 2 + 4 2 ⇔ d = √ 26
e) 1, 3, 5 → d = √ 1 2 + 3 2 + 5 2 ⇔ d = √ 35
5. What is the length of the diagonal of a rectangular solid whose sides have
lengths a, b, c ? What if the sides have lengths ra, rb, rc ?
Fig. 5-30
Lengths a, b, c :
2 2 2
square of the length of the diagonal of the base square s = a + b
7. a) In a right triangle, one side has length 7 ft and the hypotenuse has
length 10 ft. What is the length of the other side?
s = √ 10 2 − 72 = √ 100 − 49 ⇔ s = √ 51 ft
b) Same question if one side has length 11 ft and the hypotenuse has
length 17 ft.
s = √ 17 2 − 11 2 = √ 289 − 121 ⇔ s = 2 √ 42 ft
c) Same question if one side has length 6 ft and the hypotenuse has length
13 ft.
s = √ 13 2 − 62 = √ 169 − 36 ⇔ s = √ 133 ft
9. Write down in detail the “similar steps” left to the reader in the proof of
the corollary to the Pythagoras theorem.theorem.
Corollary. Let P, Q be distinct points in the plane. Let M be also a point in
the plane. We have
d (P, M ) = d (Q, M ).
if and only if M lies on the perpendicular bisector of PQ .
d (O , P ) 2 + d (O , M ) 2 = d (P , M ) 2
Fig. 5-31
a)
In the first case, the picture is as follows.
The triangles △PQN and △PNM are right
triangles, and hence
m (A 1) + m (B ) = 90° , m (A 2) + m (C ) = 90° .
Adding these, we find
m (A 1) + m (A 2) + m (B ) + m (C ) = 180°.
But m (A ) = m (A 1) + m (A 2) , so that we proved what we wanted.
b)
In the second case, the picture is as follows.
Then △PQN is a right triangle, and so is △PMN ,
with right angle at N . Hence
(*) m (A 1) + m (B ) = 90° , m (A 2) + m (C ') = 90° .
where C ' is the supplementary angle to C, i.e.,
m (C ) + m (C ') = 180° ,
so that m (C ) = 180° − m (C ') .
Fig. 5-31
a)
1
Area of △PQN = h(a − t)
2
1
Area of △PMN = ht
2
Area of △PQM = area of △PQN + area of △PMN
1 1 1 1
h(a − t) + ht = h(a − t + t) = ha
2 2 2 2
b)
1
Area of △PNM = h(a + t)
2
1
Area of △PNQ = ht
2
Area of △PQM = area of △PNM − area of △PNQ
1 1 1 1
h(a + t) − ht = h(a + t − t) = ha
2 2 2 2
b) Let P be a point and L a line. Show that the smallest value for the
distances d (P, M ) between P and points M on the line is the distance
d (P, Q ), where Q is the point of intersection between L and the line
through P, perpendicular to L.
13. This exercise asks you to derive some standard properties of angles from
elementary geometry. They are used very commonly. We refer to the
following figures.
a) In Fig. 5-33(a), you are given two parallel lines L1, L2 and a line K which
intersects them at points P and P ' as shown. Let A and B then be angles
which K makes with L1 and L2 respectively, as shown. Prove that
m (A ) = m (B ) .
[Hint: Draw a line from a point of K above L1
perpendicular to L1 and L2 . Then use the
fact that the sum of the angles of a right
triangle has 180°.]
We can draw a perpendicular, from a point
M on K , to L2 and this line is also
perpendicular to L1 . Then △MQ 'P ' is a right
triangle, so m (C ) + m (A ) + 90° = 180°.