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How to Circumscribe an Equilateral Triangle

Triangles are closed two-dimensional figures that have three sides and three angles. They vary in type depending on the proportion of the sides. When none of the sides is the same, you have a scalene triangle. If two sides are equal in length, the triangle is isosceles. When all three sides are the same, the triangle is equilateral. Circumscribing a triangle means creating a circle around a triangle that intersects with each of the triangle's corners. To find the center of the circumscribed circle, you must first find the center of the triangle.

Things You'll Need

  • Ruler
  • Protractor
  • Compass
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure one side of the triangle and find the midpoint.

    • 2

      Line up the center of the protractor with the center of the side.

    • 3

      Mark the 90-degree point over the center point of the triangle side.

    • 4

      Draw a line connecting the center point of the triangle's side and the 90-degree point. This line is perpendicular bisector of the side of the triangle.

    • 5

      Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for one other side.

    • 6

      Extend the lines until they cross. If the triangle is obtuse, you will have to extend the lines outside the triangle.

    • 7

      Place the point of the compass on the point where the bisectors cross.

    • 8

      Pivot the pencil while holding the point steady in the center of the triangle. Draw a circle all the way around the triangle, touching each of the triangle's vertices.

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