Special right triangle are in the ratio 1 : 2 : 3 and respectively measure 30° (), 60° (), and 90° (). The sides are in the ratio 1 : : 2. The proof of this fact is clear using trigonometry. The geometric proof is: The 30°–60°–90° triangle is the only right triangle whose angles are in an arithmetic progression. The proof of this fact is simple and follows on from the fact that if "α", , are the angles in the progression then the sum of the angles = 180°. After dividing by 3, the angle must be 60°. The right angle
Skinny triangle the stations could be on opposite sides of the Earth. However, this distance is still short compared to the distance to the object being measured (the height of the triangle) and the skinny triangle solution can be applied and still achieve great accuracy. The alternative method of measuring the base angles is theoretically possible but not so accurate. The base angles are very nearly right angles and would need to be measured with much greater precision than the parallax angle in order to get the same accuracy. The same method of measuring parallax angles and applying the skinny triangle can