Triangle Combination: Legal & Illegal Combos

AI Thread Summary
Not all combinations of three lengths can form a triangle due to the triangle inequality theorem, which states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides must be greater than the length of the third side. For example, sides measuring 1, 2, and 4 cannot form a triangle because 1 + 2 is not greater than 4. Additionally, when dealing with points, three points must not be collinear to form a triangle. The discussion emphasizes the need for a function that can handle both valid and invalid triangle combinations effectively. Understanding these principles is crucial for developing the program correctly.
brad sue
Messages
270
Reaction score
0
HI ,
I don't know where to post my question. sorry if it is not in the correct forum.

I am working on a program and one of the instruction say this:
(Prior we have to know that a,b,c are the sides of a triangle)

"Note that not all combination of a,b,c produce a triangle.
Your function should produce correct results for legal data and reasonable results for illegal combinations"

I did not know that there can be bad combination for a triangle.
What is this bad combination?

thank you
B.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Try to draw a triangle whose sides are 1, 2, and 4.
 
Well, c must be less than a + b, if that's what you ment..Or, if you're working with points (coordinates), three points mustn't be colinear.
 
Thread 'Video on imaginary numbers and some queries'

Thread 'Video on imaginary numbers and some queries'

Hi, I was watching the following video. I found some points confusing. Could you please help me to understand the gaps? Thanks, in advance! Question 1: Around 4:22, the video says the following. So for those mathematicians, negative numbers didn't exist. You could subtract, that is find the difference between two positive quantities, but you couldn't have a negative answer or negative coefficients. Mathematicians were so averse to negative numbers that there was no single quadratic...
View full post »

Thread 'What Exactly is Dirac’s Delta Function? - Insight'

Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
View full post »
Thread 'Unit Circle Double Angle Derivations'

Thread 'Unit Circle Double Angle Derivations'

Here I made a terrible mistake of assuming this to be an equilateral triangle and set 2sinx=1 => x=pi/6. Although this did derive the double angle formulas it also led into a terrible mess trying to find all the combinations of sides. I must have been tired and just assumed 6x=180 and 2sinx=1. By that time, I was so mindset that I nearly scolded a person for even saying 90-x. I wonder if this is a case of biased observation that seeks to dis credit me like Jesus of Nazareth since in reality...
View full post »

Similar threads

MHB Finding the Leg Lengths of a Right Triangle with an Acute Angle of 22°
Replies
2
Views
1K
MHB Is there a formula for finding the perimeter of a triangle with known vertices?
Replies
3
Views
2K
MHB What is the perimeter of triangle ABC?
Replies
2
Views
5K
MHB Calculate the sides of a triangle knowing its area, perimeter and angle A.
Replies
7
Views
3K
MHB How to exclude combinations for defined sequences?
Replies
1
Views
2K
MHB Find the Sides of Triangle DEF: A Challenge!
Replies
4
Views
3K
MHB What is the area of an isosceles triangle with side lengths 6, 6, and 4?
Replies
1
Views
2K
I How would one calculate the distance and bearing of a signal source?
Replies
7
Views
3K
Finding area of a non right angled triangle
Replies
9
Views
3K
B How Can Trigonometry Calculate Distances in Surveying?
Replies
5
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top