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A right triangle has three sides and an angle that equals 90º:
[[Image:Rtriangle.svg|thumb|A typical right triangle]]
A right triangle has three sides and an angle that equals 90º.
[[Image:Rtriangle.svg]]
The general right triangle is the subject of one of the more famous mathematical ideas, the [[Pythagorean Theorem]]. It states that the sum of the squares on the legs (short sides) of a right triangle is equal to the square on the hypotenuse (the long side, opposite the right angle). Using the figure to the right, this means:
:<math>a^2 + b^2 = c^2</math>
The analysis of ratios between sides of right triangles with hypotenuse = 1 is at the heart of [[trignometry]].
[[category:geometry]]
[[category:geometry]]