The two angles opposite the legs are equal and are always acute, so the classification of the triangle as acute, right, or obtuse depends only on the angle between its two legs. The other dimensions of the triangle, such as its height, area, and perimeter, can be calculated by simple formulas from the lengths of the legs and base.Įvery isosceles triangle has an axis of symmetry along the perpendicular bisector of its base. The two equal sides are called the legs and the third side is called the base of the triangle. Isosceles triangles have been used as decoration from even earlier times, and appear frequently in architecture and design, for instance in the pediments and gables of buildings. The mathematical study of isosceles triangles dates back to ancient Egyptian mathematics and Babylonian mathematics. Sometimes it is specified as having exactly two sides of equal length, and sometimes as having at least two sides of equal length, the latter version thus including the equilateral triangle as a special case.Įxamples of isosceles triangles include the isosceles right triangle, the golden triangle, and the faces of bipyramids and certain Catalan solids.

In geometry, an isosceles triangle ( / aɪ ˈ s ɒ s ə l iː z/) is a triangle that has two sides of equal length. Isosceles triangle with vertical axis of symmetry

Isosceles triangle definition geometry