Conway triangle notation
Notation for trigonometric relationships
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In geometry, the Conway triangle notation simplifies and clarifies the algebraic expression of various trigonometric relationships in a triangle. Using the symbol S for twice the triangle's area, the symbol Sφ is defined to mean S times the cotangent of any arbitrary angle φ.
The notation is named after English mathematician John Horton Conway,[1] who promoted its use, but essentially the same notation (using p instead of S) can be found in an 1894 paper by Spanish mathematician Juan Jacobo Durán Loriga.[2]
Definition
Basic formulas
In particular:
where ω is the Brocard angle. The law of cosines is used:
Third-, double-, and half-angle identities:
for values of φ where 0 < φ < π,
Furthermore the convention uses a shorthand notation for and
Trigonometric relationships
Important identities
Trigonometric conversions
Useful formulas
Applications
Let D be the distance between two points P and Q whose trilinear coordinates are Let Then D is given by the formula:[5]
Distance between circumcenter and orthocenter
Using this formula it is possible to determine |OH|, the distance between the circumcenter and the orthocenter as follows:
For the circumcenter
and for the orthocenter
Hence:
Thus,[6]