Golden Triangle

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The golden triangle, sometimes also called the sublime triangle, is an isosceles triangle such that the ratio of the hypotenuse a to base b is equal to the golden ratio, a/b=phi. From the above figure, this means that the triangle has vertex angle equal to

 theta=2sin^(-1)(b/(2a))=2sin^(-1)(1/(2phi))=1/5pi,
(1)

or 36 degrees, and that the height h is related to the base b through

h=sqrt((bphi)^2-(1/2b)^2)
(2)
=bsqrt(phi^2-1/4)
(3)
=1/2bsqrt(5+2sqrt(5)).
(4)

The inradius of a golden triangle is

 r=1/2bsqrt(5-2sqrt(5)).
(5)
GoldenTriangleFigures

The triangles at the tips of a pentagram (left figure) and obtained by dividing a decagon by connecting opposite vertices (right figure) are golden triangles. This follows from the fact that

 a/b=phi
(6)

for a pentagram and that the circumradius R of a decagon of side length s is

 R=phis.
(7)

Golden triangles and gnomons can be dissected into smaller triangles that are golden gnomons and golden triangles (Livio 2002, p. 79).

Successive points dividing a golden triangle into golden gnomons and triangles lie on a logarithmic spiral (Livio 2002, p. 119).

Kimberling (1991) defines a second type of golden triangle in which the ratio of angles is phi:1, where phi is the golden ratio.

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