In the triangle embedded in the square what is the measure of angle, theta?

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1 Answer
Apr 26, 2016

theta = arctan((3A-sqrt(A))/(3A+sqrt(A)))

Explanation:

Let s represent the side length of the square.

From the right side, we see that s = sqrt(A)+bar(ED)

From the area of the triangle, we have A=(s*bar(ED))/2. Solving for bar(ED) gives us bar(ED) = (2A)/s. Substituting this into the above leaves us with s = sqrt(A)+(2A)/s.

With our new equation in s and A, we can multiply both sides by s and gather the terms on one side to obtain the quadratic

s^2-sqrt(A)s-2A = 0

Applying the quadratic formula gives us

s = (sqrt(A)+-3A)/2

As we know s > sqrt(A) we can discard (sqrt(A)-3A)/2, leaving us with

s = (sqrt(A)+3A)/2

We can substitute this value for s into the equation obtained from the right side of the square to obtain

(sqrt(A)+3A)/2 = sqrt(A)+bar(ED)

=> bar(ED) = (3A-sqrt(A))/2

Now, as triangleAED is a right triangle, we have

tan(theta)=bar(ED)/bar(AD)

=bar(ED)/s

=(3A-sqrt(A))/2-:(sqrt(A)+3A)/2

=(3A-sqrt(A))/(3A+sqrt(A))

Thus, taking the inverse tangent function of both sides, we get the result

theta = arctan((3A-sqrt(A))/(3A+sqrt(A)))