Cutting corners
Penny knows how to construct a triangle when given the lengths of three sides, but doesn’t know how to construct a triangle given the heights of the triangle from two sides and the length of the third side. Joe suggested that with a ruler and a pair of scissors she might just find a way. As an example, Joe gave her the two heights of an acute-angled triangle as 5.6 and 6.0 centimetres and the length of its third side as 6.5 centimetres. How long were the other two sides?
WIN £15 will be awarded to the sender of the first correct answer opened on Wednesday 27 November. The Editor’s decision is final. Please send entries to Enigma 1773, Â鶹´«Ã½, Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to enigma@newscientist.com (please include your postal address).
Answer to 1767 Not over easy: Joe placed 36 cards sunny side up
The winner R. F. Tindall of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, UK
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