Rhind Papyrus : Problem 51
Triangles have been studied for many years.
This statement
was presumably true even when the above image was created
circa 1800 B.C. on what is now known as the Rhind papyrus.
Problem 51 above refers to a calculation of the area of a
triangular plot of land.
Number theorists have long found triangles to provide a rich
source of interesting problems. One can ask for triangles
with rational sides and rational area. Alternately, one can ask
for any of the altitudes to be rational. Or for that matter
the medians, angle bisectors or whatever your favourite
cevian happens to be.
Examples of such triangles can be found in
On Triangles with rational altitudes,
angle bisectors and medians.
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Ralph Buchholz
21 May 2003
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