If i have a trinagle with two legs that have the same lenght and the third side is 10.2 cm, how do i calculate the other sides? [edited by - endasil on January 12, 2003 12:14:55 PM]

You can''t, you need at least one additionnal value...

I looked into my friends math book and there one of the angles are placed on the image. Seems like the number had disapeared from my book. I have spent hours trying to solve a problem that isn't possible to solve.

Thank you for pointing out this to me.

[edited by - endasil on January 12, 2003 12:18:46 PM]

Is this a homework question?

Graham Rhodes
Senior Scientist
Applied Research Associates, Inc.

Draw a perpendicular bisector of the third side and any point on that line will make the other two sides the same length. Just in case you were wondering why you need an additional value.

the only way one answer is possible, is if the triangle were a right, 45,45,90 degree tri. if this triangle is not right, but isosceles as you pointed out, the number of solutions is infinite. The described isosceles could have an astronomical height or even a microscopic height. This would be the case if you considered the 10.2 cm the base. To find the magnitudes of the remaining congruent sides, you''d need only to know ONE ANGLE. BUt, you don''t... think about it.