Probability of getting an obtuse triangle when choosing three points on a circle.

circlescontest-mathgeometryprobabilitytriangles

The problem is: $1153$ points are evenly distributed on a circle. Find the probability of randomly picking $3$ points constituted vertices of an obtuse triangle.

The given solution says
$$
\frac{\binom{1153}{1}\binom{576}{2}}{\binom{1153}{3}} = \frac{1725}{2302}
$$

What I don't understand is how we get $\binom{576}{2}$. Where does this come from? I am assuming that $576$ comes from $1153-1 \over 2$ but I cant figure out why we do that, and why we have to choose 2 points from them. Any help?

Best Answer

The number $576\choose 2$ comes from the number of ways to choose the other two vertices of the obtuse-angled triangle, once you've chosen the vertex with the obtuse angle.

With the point chosen for your obtuse angle, label all points with numbers $-576$ to $576$, e.g. in clockwise order, so that your chosen point is labelled as $0$. We need to pick two of those - one at each side of the given point $0$ (i.e. one negative and one positive), so that the angle is actually obtuse. This means that the "distance" of the second and the third point is at most $576$.

One can see that, if you pick $-576$, you have no choices for the third point at all (as you cannot choose $0$ again, and any positive point is "further away"). If you pick $-575$ you can only pick $1$. If you pick $-574$, you can also pick $1$ or $2$ etc. until, if you pick $-1$, you can pick any of the the points $1,2,3,\ldots,575$.

So the total number of ways to pick the "other" two points is $1+2+3+\ldots+575={576\choose 2}$.

I suggest you test this logic on something simpler, i.e. instead of $1153$ points choose any small odd number of points (say $5$ or $7$) and convince yourselves that the same logic works. E.g. for $5$ points there is only one way to choose the other two ponts, for $7$ points there are $1+2=3$ ways etc.


Update: I can see from @Golden_Ratio's answer that the value $576\choose 2$ pops out directly if, instead of the obtuse angle vertex we choose the acute angle vertex (the first in, say, clockwise, order). Still, I will keep this answer as a potentially different (less efficient for sure!) solution.

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