8/7/2014 Viviani' s theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The sum s + u + t of the lengths equals the
height of the triangle.
Viviani's theorem
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viviani's theorem, named after Vincenzo Viviani, states that the
sum of the distances from any interior point to the sides of an
equilateral triangle equals the length of the triangle's altitude.
[1]
Contents
1 Proof
2 Converse
3 Applications
4 Extensions
4.1 Parallelogram
4.2 Regular polygon
4.3 Equiangular polygon
4.4 Regular polyhedron
5 References
6 External links
Proof
This proof depends on the readily-proved proposition that the area of a triangle is half its base times its heightthat
is, half the product of one side with the altitude from that side.
Let ABC be an equilateral triangle whose height is h and whose side is a.
Let P be any point inside the triangle, and u, s, t the distances of P from the sides. Draw a line from P to each of A,
B, and C, forming three triangles PAB, PBC, and PCA.
Now, the areas of these triangles are , , and . They exactly fill the enclosing triangle, so the sum of
these areas is equal to the area of the enclosing triangle. So we can write:
and thus
u + s + t = h.
8/7/2014 Viviani' s theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Flammability diagram for methane
Q.E.D.
Converse
The converse also holds: If the sum of the distances from an interior point of a triangle to the sides is independent of
the location of the point, the triangle is equilateral.
[2]
Applications
Viviani's theorem means that lines parallel
to the sides of an equilateral triangle give
coordinates for making ternary plots, such
as flammability diagrams.
More generally, they allow one to give
coordinates on a regular simplex in the
same way.
Extensions
Parallelogram
The sum of the distances from any interior
point of a parallelogram to the sides is
independent of the location of the point.
The converse also holds: If the sum of the
distances from a point in the interior of a
quadrilateral to the sides is independent of
the location of the point, then the
quadrilateral is a parallelogram.
[2]
The result generalizes to any 2n-gon with opposite sides parallel. Since the sum of distances between any pair of
opposite parallel sides is constant, it follows that the sum of all pairwise sums between the pairs of parallel sides, is
also constant. The converse in general is not true, as the result holds for an equilateral hexagon, which does not
necessarily have opposite sides parallel.
Regular polygon
If a polygon is regular (both equiangular and equilateral), the sum of the distances to the sides from an interior point
is independent of the location of the point. Specifically, it equals n times the apothem, where n is the number of
sides and the apothem is the distance from the center to a side.
[2][3]
However, the converse does not hold; the non-
square parallelogram is a counterexample.
[2]
Equiangular polygon
8/7/2014 Viviani' s theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The sum of the distances from an interior point to the sides of an equiangular polygon does not depend on the
location of the point.
[1]
Regular polyhedron
The sum of the distances from any point in the interior of a regular polyhedron to the sides is independent of the
location of the point. However, the converse does not hold, not even for tetrahedra.
[2]
References
1. ^
a

b
Abboud, Elias (2010). "On Vivianis Theorem and its Extensions". College Mathematics Journal 43 (3): 16.
arXiv:0903.0753v3 (https://arxiv.org/abs/0903.0753v3).
2. ^
a

b

c

d

e
Chen, Zhibo; Liang, Tian (2006). "The converse of Viviani's theorem". The College Mathematics Journal
37 (5): 390.
3. ^ Pickover, Clifford A. (2009). The Math Book. Stirling. p. 150. ISBN 978-1402788291.
Weisstein, Eric W., "Viviani's Theorem" (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/VivianisTheorem.html) ,
MathWorld.
Li Zhou, Viviani Polytopes and Fermat Points (http://arxiv.org/abs/1008.1236)
External links
Viviani's Theorem: What is it? (http://www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/Geometry/Viviani.shtml) at Cut the
knot.
Viviani's Theorem (http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/VivianisTheorem/) by Jay Warendorff, the Wolfram
Demonstrations Project.
Some generalizations of Viviani's theorem (http://frink.machighway.com/~dynamicm/viviani-general.html) at
Dynamic Geometry Sketches (http://dynamicmathematicslearning.com/JavaGSPLinks.htm) , an interactive
dynamic geometry sketch.
Clough's Theorem - a variation of Viviani's theorem and some generalizations
(http://frink.machighway.com/~dynamicm/clough.html) at Dynamic Geometry Sketches
(http://dynamicmathematicslearning.com/JavaGSPLinks.htm) , an interactive dynamic geometry sketch.
Some 3D Generalizations of Viviani's theorem (http://frink.machighway.com/~dynamicm/disphenoid-
viviani.html) at Dynamic Geometry Sketches (http://dynamicmathematicslearning.com/JavaGSPLinks.htm) ,
an interactive dynamic geometry sketch.
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Categories: Polygons Triangle geometry Theorems in geometry
8/7/2014 Viviani' s theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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