Analyzing the Setup
To form a triangle within a regular polygon with n vertices, we must select any 3 vertices from the n available. Since the order of selection does not change the resulting triangle, we utilize the combination formula.
The total number of triangles Tn is given by:
This expression serves as the bedrock of our logical framework.
The Power of Pascal's Identity
We now consider a polygon with n+1 vertices. The number of triangles in this polygon is Tn+1=(3n+1). We are given the condition:
Rather than expanding these terms into complex factorials, we apply Pascal's Identity, which states:
By rearranging this identity, we obtain the relationship (rn+1)−(rn)=(r−1n). Setting r=3, our equation simplifies elegantly to:
The Final Calculation
We are left with the simplified combination equation (2n)=10. Expanding this using the definition of combinations, we get:
Multiplying both sides by 2, we arrive at the quadratic form:
We seek two consecutive integers whose product is 20. Since 5×4=20, we conclude that n=5.
The polygon in question is a pentagon. This result demonstrates that in JEE mathematics, identifying the correct combinatorial property often bypasses the need for tedious brute-force calculation.