Equilateral triangle terms of side length "a" can be derived directly using the Pythagorean theorem or using trigonometry. The area of a triangle is half of one side "a" times the height "h" from that side: The legs of either right triangle formed by an altitude of the equilateral triangle are half of the base "a", and the hypotenuse is the side "a" of the equilateral triangle. The height of an equilateral triangle can be found using the Pythagorean theorem so that Substituting "h" into the area formula (1/2)"ah" gives the area formula for the equilateral triangle: Using trigonometry, the area of
Gauss's Pythagorean right triangle proposal Gauss's Pythagorean right triangle proposal Gauss's Pythagorean right triangle proposal is an idea attributed to Carl Friedrich Gauss for a method to signal extraterrestrial beings by constructing an immense right triangle and three squares on the surface of the Earth. The shapes would be a symbolical representation of the Pythagorean theorem, large enough to be seen from the Moon or Mars. Although credited in numerous sources as originating with Gauss, with exact details of the proposal set out, the specificity of detail, and even whether Gauss made the proposal, have been called into question. Many of the earliest sources do