Right triangle and "b" are the legs of the triangle. If the incircle is tangent to the hypotenuse AB at point P, then denoting the semi-perimeter as "s", we have and , and the area is given by This formula only applies to right triangles. If an altitude is drawn from the vertex with the right angle to the hypotenuse then the triangle is divided into two smaller triangles which are both similar to the original and therefore similar to each other. From this: In equations, where "a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f" are as shown in the diagram. Thus Moreover, the
Special right triangle ratios: The 3 : 4 : 5 triangles are the only right triangles with edges in arithmetic progression. Triangles based on Pythagorean triples are Heronian, meaning they have integer area as well as integer sides. The possible use of the 3 : 4 : 5 triangle in Ancient Egypt, with the supposed use of a knotted rope to lay out such a triangle, and the question whether Pythagoras' theorem was known at that time, have been much debated. It was first conjectured by the historian Moritz Cantor in 1882. It is known that right angles were laid out accurately in