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In geometry, the inverse Pythagorean theorem (also known as the reciprocal Pythagorean theorem or the upside down Pythagorean theorem) is as follows:

Let A, B be the endpoints of the hypotenuse of a right triangle △ABC. Let D be the foot of a perpendicular dropped from C, the vertex of the right angle, to the hypotenuse. Then

${\displaystyle {\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}={\frac {1}{AC^{2}}}+{\frac {1}{BC^{2}}}.}$

This theorem should not be confused with proposition 48 in book 1 of Euclid's Elements, the converse of the Pythagorean theorem, which states that if the square on one side of a triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides then the other two sides contain a right angle.

Proof

The area of triangle △ABC can be expressed in terms of either AC and BC, or AB and CD:

${\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\tfrac {1}{2}}AC\cdot BC&={\tfrac {1}{2}}AB\cdot CD\\(AC\cdot BC)^{2}&=(AB\cdot CD)^{2}\\{\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}&={\frac {AB^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}\end{aligned}}}$

given CD > 0, AC > 0 and BC > 0.

Using the Pythagorean theorem,

${\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}&={\frac {BC^{2}+AC^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}\\&={\frac {BC^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}+{\frac {AC^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}\\\quad \therefore \;\;{\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}&={\frac {1}{AC^{2}}}+{\frac {1}{BC^{2}}}\end{aligned}}}$

as above.

Note in particular:

${\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\tfrac {1}{2}}AC\cdot BC&={\tfrac {1}{2}}AB\cdot CD\\CD&={\tfrac {AC\cdot BC}{AB}}\\\end{aligned}}}$

Special case of the cruciform curve

The cruciform curve or cross curve is a quartic plane curve given by the equation

${\displaystyle x^{2}y^{2}-b^{2}x^{2}-a^{2}y^{2}=0}$

where the two parameters determining the shape of the curve, a and b are each CD.

Substituting x with AC and y with BC gives

${\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}AC^{2}BC^{2}-CD^{2}AC^{2}-CD^{2}BC^{2}&=0\\AC^{2}BC^{2}&=CD^{2}BC^{2}+CD^{2}AC^{2}\\{\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}&={\frac {BC^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}+{\frac {AC^{2}}{AC^{2}\cdot BC^{2}}}\\\therefore \;\;{\frac {1}{CD^{2}}}&={\frac {1}{AC^{2}}}+{\frac {1}{BC^{2}}}\end{aligned}}}$

Inverse-Pythagorean triples can be generated using integer parameters t and u as follows.

${\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}AC&=(t^{2}+u^{2})(t^{2}-u^{2})\\BC&=2tu(t^{2}+u^{2})\\CD&=2tu(t^{2}-u^{2})\end{aligned}}}$

Application

If two identical lamps are placed at A and B, the theorem and the inverse-square law imply that the light intensity at C is the same as when a single lamp is placed at D.

See also

• Geometric mean theorem – Theorem about right triangles
• Pythagorean theorem – Relation between sides of a right triangle

References

1. R. B. Nelsen, Proof Without Words: A Reciprocal Pythagorean Theorem, Mathematics Magazine, 82, December 2009, p. 370
2. The upside-down Pythagorean theorem, Jennifer Richinick, The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 92, No. 524 (July 2008), pp. 313-316
3. Johan Wästlund, "Summing inverse squares by euclidean geometry", http://www.math.chalmers.se/~wastlund/Cosmic.pdf, pp. 4–5.
4. "Diophantine equation of three variables".

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