Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

AB = 6, AD = 3, DE = 2, and BDE = 90 degrees, How to construct this triangle?

This question was put up by someone few days back asking for measure of BC. My problem is that I could not even construct the triangle. The locus of E is from the tangent point from A to the circle with centre D & the intersecting point of the circle and AC. (Yellow arc) In this diagram BDE is not 90.

Update:

The triangle is unique with the given inputs.

Update 2:

ACB = 90 degrees

Update 3:

AB≠CD

Attachment image

1 Answer

Relevance
  • 6 years ago

    I'm also confused at this. (Anyway, take a chance to have a look in the way i see it. It might help.)

    If you can notice, segment DE is a radius of another smaller circle whose center is at point D, and CD is also same radius. Hence DE = 2 = CD, then it makes AC = AD + DC = 5. Then it become simple to construct the inner triangle.

    Now, you can solve for BC using Pythagorean theorem:

    (AB)^2 = (AC)^2 + (BC)^2

    (BC)^2 = (AB)^2 - (AC)^2

    BC= (6^2 - 5^2)^1/2

    BC = (36 - 25)^1/2

    BC = sqrt(11) = 3.317 <===Answer

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.