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Trivia (merged)

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OSU_Buckguy said:
a ha. yes, on one hand the top figure is most definitely a triangle, inasmuch as a basketball is a sphere. however, a real life basketball can never be a true sphere, except only hypothetically.

therein lies the solution to the inconsistency.

again, the top figure is a triangle and not a triangle at the same time. it depends on your expectation of a triangle.

edit: also, the solution is gimmicky.
Click to expand...

If the top figure were a triangle, the hypotenuse would travel from (0,0) to (13,5). For x=8, the hypotenuse would be at a y-value of 3.077. However, the two lines that are supposed to look like a hypotenuse actually travel from (0,0) to (8,3) and then from(8,3) to (13,5).

It really is a quadrilateral and really is not a triangle, except in appearance.
 
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Those are quotation marks, and they're there because the large figures are not really triangles and therefore they don't really have hypotenuses.

Edit - I mean, I'm just kidding. I made all that up. Let's let Bucky explain it...
 
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Because hypotenuse isn't really a word and we are trying to confuse you. Is it working?:tongue2:

EDIT - Thanks for ruining it for me, Princess!
 
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PrincessPeach said:
What? Am I missing something here? On which hand is the top figure a triangle? My 'expectation' of a triangle is that it be made up of three straight lines. It has already been proven that both figures are quadrilaterals, since the slopes of the small triangles are different, and therefore the 'hypotenuse' of each is actually two lines joined by an angle that is only close to 180 degrees. Under what hypothetical situation is that ever a triangle?

The puzzle is mere optical illusion. Gimmicky? Sure.
Click to expand...
princess, my only point was that if one glances at the figure, it is considered to be a triangle. it is still a triangle -- just not under the geometric requirements of a triangle. the figure is in the overall shape of a triangle. of course, a true geometric triangle must comprise three straight line segments that are connected without being on the same straight line.

like i mentioned before, we can all reasonably agree that a basketball is a sphere. however, the true geometric definition of a sphere requires that all points on the surface be equidistant from the exact center. surely, a real life basketball cannot have all of its surface equidistant from the true center. so, a basketball is a sphere and not a sphere at the same time -- just like the figure mentioned is a triangle and not a triangle at the same time. it just depends on your expectation/definition of it.
 
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If you math geeks don't shut your holes about all this boring crap, I'm gonna firebomb this thread. Ah, forget it, too late:

firebomb_big
 
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Here's one that won't make your head hurt:

A snail is at the bottom of a well that is 20 meters in depth. Every day the snail climbs 5 meters upwards, but at night it slides 4 meters back downwards. How many days must elapse till the snail reaches the top of the well?
 
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