Sum of angles of a triangle Sum of angles of a triangle In several geometries, a triangle has three "vertices" and three "sides", where three angles of a triangle are formed at each vertex by a pair of adjacent sides. In a Euclidean space, the sum of measures of these three angles of any triangle is invariably equal to the straight angle, also expressed as 180 °, radians, two right angles, or a half-turn. It was unknown for a long time whether other geometries exist, where this sum is different. The influence of this problem on mathematics was particularly strong during the 19th century. Ultimately, the
Hyperbolic triangle side with the corresponding letter) is strictly less than a straight angle. The difference between the measure of a straight angle and the sum of the measures of a triangle's angles is called the defect of the triangle. The area of a hyperbolic triangle is equal to its defect multiplied by the square of : This theorem, first proven by Johann Heinrich Lambert, is related to Girard's theorem in spherical geometry. In all the formulas stated below the sides , , and must be measured in absolute length, a unit so that the Gaussian curvature of the plane is −1.