All Intermediate Geometry Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #111 : Acute / Obtuse Triangles
True or false: It is possible for a triangle with sides of length five feet, fifty inches, and one and one half yards to exist.
False
True
True
First, convert all of the given sidelengths to the same unit; here, we choose the smallest unit, inches.
One foot is equal to 12 inches, so to convert feet to inches, multiply by 12:
One yard is equal to 36 inches, so to convert yards to inches, multiply by 36:
The measures of the sides of the triangle, in inches, are 50, 54, and 60.
By the Triangle Inequality Theorem, the sum of the measures of the shortest two sides of a triangle must exceed the length of the longest side, so for this triangle to be possible it must hold that
or
This is indeed the case, so a triangle with these sidelengths can exist.
Example Question #161 : Triangles
True or false: It is possible for a triangle with sides of length , , and to exist.
False
True
False
By the Triangle Inequality Theorem, the sum of the measures of the shortest two sides of a triangle must exceed the length of the longest side.
Write each length in terms of a common denominator; this is . The fractions convert as follows:
is the greatest of the three, so for this triangle to be possible it must hold that
or, equivalently,
This is false, so a triangle with these sidelengths cannot exist.
Example Question #171 : Triangles
True or false: It is possible for a triangle with sides of length , , and to exist.
False
True
True
By the Triangle Inequality Theorem, the sum of the measures of the shortest two sides of a triangle must exceed the length of the longest side.
Write each length in terms of a common denominator; this is . The fractions convert as follows:
is the greatest of the three, so for this triangle to be possible it must hold that
or, equivalently,
This is indeed the case, so a triangle with these sidelengths can exist.
Example Question #14 : How To Find The Length Of The Side Of An Acute / Obtuse Triangle
Two of the exterior angles of a triangle, taken at different vertices, measure . Is the triangle scalene, isosceles but not equilateral, or equilateral?
Isosceles, but not equilateral
Equilateral
Scalene
Isosceles, but not equilateral
At a given vertex, an exterior angle and an interior angle of a triangle form a linear pair, making them supplementary - that is, their measures total . The measures of two interior angles can be calculated by subtracting the exterior angle measures from :
The triangle has two interior angles of measure .
By the Converse of the Isosceles Triangle Theorem, since the triangle has two congruent angles, their opposite sides are congruent. Also, since an equilateral triangle has three angles of measure , the triangle is not equilateral. The triangle is isosceles, but not equilateral.
Example Question #173 : Triangles
Given: ; ; .
True or false:
False
True
False
The sum of the measures of the interior angles of a triangle is , so
Substitute the given two angle measures and solve for :
Subtract from both sides:
Therefore,
By the Isosceles Triangle Theorem, if , their opposite sides are also congruent - that is, . Since this is not the case, .
Example Question #112 : Acute / Obtuse Triangles
Refer to the above diagram. By what statement does it follow that ?
The Side-Side-Side Postulate
The Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem
The Side-Side-Side Similarity Theorem
The Hinge Theorem
The Triangle Inequality
The Triangle Inequality
In any triangle, the sum of the lengths of any two sides is greater than the length of the third side; the statement is a specific example. This is a direct result of the Triangle Inequality Theorem.
Example Question #112 : Acute / Obtuse Triangles
Refer to the above two triangles. . By what statement does it follow that ?
The Triangle Inequality Theorem
The Side-Side-Side Postulate
The Third Angles Theorem
The Hinge Theorem
The Side-Angle-Side Similarity Theorem
The Hinge Theorem
We are given that two sides of a triangle, sides and of , are congruent to two sides of another triangle, sides and of ; we are also given that the included angle of the former, , has greater degree measure than that of the latter, . It is a consequence of the Hinge Theorem (also known as the Side-Angle-Side Inequality Theorem) that the side opposite the former is longer than that opposite the latter - that is, .
Example Question #16 : How To Find The Length Of The Side Of An Acute / Obtuse Triangle
Refer to the above diagram. and .
True, false, or undetermined: .
False
Undetermined
True
True
In addition to the fact that and , we also have that , since, by the Reflexive Property of Congruence, any segment is congruent to itself. We can restate this in a more usable form as .
Therefore, two sides of are congruent to two corresponding sides of , but the included angle of the former has greater measure than that of the latter. It follows from the Hinge Theorem, or Side-Angle-Side Inequality Theorem, that the third side of the former is longer than the third side of the latter - that is, . The statement is true.
Example Question #113 : Acute / Obtuse Triangles
A triangle with sides of length 2,000, 3,000, and 5,000 cannot be constructed. This follows from the _____________________.
Triangle Exterior Angle Theorem
Triangle Inequality Theorem
Pythagorean Theorem
Converse of the Isosceles Triangle Theorem
Hinge Theorem
Triangle Inequality Theorem
The triangle cannot be constructed because the sum of the lengths of the two shorter sides does not exceed the length of the longest side. This violates the conditions of the Triangle Inequality Theorem.
Example Question #1 : How To Find If Two Acute / Obtuse Triangles Are Similar
Are the two triangles similar? If so, which postulate proves their similarity? (Figure not drawn to scale)
Yes; side-side-side postulate
No, they are not similar
Yes; angle-angle postulate
Yes; side-angle-side postulate
Yes; side-side-side postulate
The triangles are similar by the SSS postulate. The proportions of corresponding sides are all equal.
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