Bretschneider formula
= Bretschneider formula
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{wiki=Bretschneider's_formula}
For a quadrilateral with side lengths $a,b,c,d$, semiperimeter $s$, area $K$, and opposite angles $A,C$,
$$
K^2=(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)(s-d)-abcd\cos^2\frac{A+C}{2}.
$$
The second term vanishes exactly when $A+C=\pi$, which is the cyclicity condition for a nondegenerate convex quadrilateral.