Math Playground
Geometry

Equilateral triangle

Three equal sides, three 60° angles — the most symmetric triangle.

All three sides equal, all three angles 60°. The most symmetric triangle there is.

Drag the corners
16151662°55°63°
isosceles · acute
angles sum ≈ 180°

What makes it special

  • 3 lines of symmetry — one through each vertex.
  • Rotational symmetry of order 3 — looks the same after a 120° turn.
  • It's also equiangular (all angles 60°) — for triangles, equal sides and equal angles always come together.
  • Stack six of them and you get a regular hexagon; that's why hexagons tile so neatly.
Area from the side length

So a side-2 equilateral triangle has area √3 ≈ 1.73.

Your turn

An equilateral triangle has a perimeter of 18 cm. What is each angle, and how long is each side?

Drag any corner of the triangle above until all three side labels read the same — watch the angles snap to 60° each.

Recap
  • Equilateral = all 3 sides equal and all 3 angles 60°.
  • Area = (√3/4)·s²; perimeter = 3s.
  • It has 3 lines of symmetry and 3-fold rotational symmetry.