SMRTR Science & EngineeringNov 3, 2025John D. Cook

Tetrahedral analog of the Pythagorean theorem

SMRTR summary

De Gua's theorem extends the Pythagorean theorem to three dimensions, stating that in a tetrahedron with three perpendicular faces meeting at a corner, the square of the opposite face's area equals the sum of squares of the three perpendicular faces' areas. This relationship generalizes to higher dimensions with volumes replacing areas. Python demonstrations confirm the theorem works mathematically, though floating-point arithmetic introduces small numerical errors when subtracting nearly equal large numbers.

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