Mathematics is a notoriously technical subject that prizes exactingly precise statements. The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is the sum of the squares of the legs, not the sum of their cubes, nor the difference of their squares. Such precision produces the clarity that makes the subject so powerful, but occasionally it comes at the cost of easy understanding. Indeed, more-complicated mathematical statements often sound bewildering upon first reading. Take the following theorem in plane geometry (deep breath...):

Let ABC be a triangle. Let DEF be parallel to AC with D on AB and E on BC. Let FGH be parallel to AB with G on BC and H on AC. Let , , and be the radii of the incircles , , and of the triangles ABC, DBE, EFG and HGC, respectively. If F is outside of ABC, then . Got it? Many theorems of mathematics, including this one, are easier to communicate by picture than by words. Here’s the scenario described in the theorem (images in this post are produced by slightly modified versions of the code for the Demonstration “The Radii of Four Incircles,” which is one of nearly 200 Demonstrations about theorems in plane geometry written by Jay Warendorff for the Wolfram Demonstrations Project):