A Tale of Three Intersecting Lines | FIO

Question 9

Construct triangles for the following measurements where the angle is included between the sides:

(a) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 7575^\circ, 7 cm7\text{ cm}

(b) 6 cm6\text{ cm}, 2525^\circ, 3 cm3\text{ cm}

(c) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 120120^\circ, 8 cm8\text{ cm}

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Solution
Understand the Question
  • To construct a triangle given two sides and the included angle (SAS Criterion):
    1. Draw a line segment for the base side (e.g., AB\text{AB}).
    2. At one endpoint (e.g., point A\text{A}), draw a ray at the given angle using a protractor.
    3. Mark off the length of the second side along this ray to locate the third vertex (point C\text{C}).
    4. Join the third vertex to the other endpoint (point B\text{B}) to complete ΔABC\Delta \text{ABC}.

(a) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 7575^\circ, 7 cm7\text{ cm}

Step 1 · Draw the Base Segment

Draw a line segment AB=7 cm\text{AB} = 7\text{ cm}.Diagram 1

Step 2 · Construct the Included Angle

At vertex A\text{A}, construct an angle of 7575^\circ using a protractor and draw a ray extending from A\text{A}.Diagram 2

Step 3 · Mark the Second Side

Along the ray from A\text{A}, mark a point C\text{C} such that AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.Diagram 3

Step 4 · Complete the Triangle

Join point B\text{B} to point C\text{C} to complete ΔABC\Delta \text{ABC}.Diagram 4

Answer

(a) Triangle ABC\text{ABC} is constructed with AB=7 cm\text{AB} = 7\text{ cm}, A=75\angle \text{A} = 75^\circ, and AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.

(b) 6 cm6\text{ cm}, 2525^\circ, 3 cm3\text{ cm}

Step 1 · Draw the Base Segment

Draw a line segment AB=6 cm\text{AB} = 6\text{ cm}.Diagram 5

Step 2 · Construct the Included Angle

At vertex A\text{A}, construct an angle of 2525^\circ using a protractor and draw a ray extending from A\text{A}.Diagram 6

Step 3 · Mark the Second Side

Along the ray from A\text{A}, mark a point C\text{C} such that AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.Diagram 7

Step 4 · Complete the Triangle

Join point B\text{B} to point C\text{C} to complete ΔABC\Delta \text{ABC}.Diagram 8

Answer

(b) Triangle ABC\text{ABC} is constructed with AB=6 cm\text{AB} = 6\text{ cm}, A=25\angle \text{A} = 25^\circ, and AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.

(c) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 120120^\circ, 8 cm8\text{ cm}

Step 1 · Draw the Base Segment

Draw a line segment AB=8 cm\text{AB} = 8\text{ cm}.Diagram 9

Step 2 · Construct the Included Angle

At vertex A\text{A}, construct an obtuse angle of 120120^\circ using a protractor and draw a ray extending from A\text{A}.Diagram 10

Step 3 · Mark the Second Side

Along the ray from A\text{A}, mark a point C\text{C} such that AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.Diagram 11

Step 4 · Complete the Triangle

Join point B\text{B} to point C\text{C} to complete ΔABC\Delta \text{ABC}.Diagram 12

Answer

(c) Triangle ABC\text{ABC} is constructed with AB=8 cm\text{AB} = 8\text{ cm}, A=120\angle \text{A} = 120^\circ, and AC=3 cm\text{AC} = 3\text{ cm}.

Common Mistakes
  • Angle Placement Error: The angle must be included between the two given sides (i.e. at their common vertex). Drawing the angle at the other endpoint results in an incorrect triangle.
  • Protractor Scale Reading: When measuring obtuse angles like 120120^\circ or acute angles like 2525^\circ and 7575^\circ, ensure you read from the correct inner/outer scale that starts at 00^\circ on the base segment.

More questions in FIO

Q1

Use the points on the circle and/or the centre to form isosceles triangles.

Q2

Use the points on the circles and/or their centres to form isosceles and equilateral triangles. The circles are of the same size.

Q3

We checked by construction that there are no triangles having sidelengths 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 4 cm4\text{ cm} and 8 cm8\text{ cm}; and 2 cm2\text{ cm}, 3 cm3\text{ cm} and 6 cm6\text{ cm}. Check if you could have found this without trying to construct the triangle.

Q4

Can we say anything about the existence of a triangle for each of the following sets of lengths?

(a) 10 km10\text{ km}, 10 km10\text{ km} and 25 km25\text{ km}

(b) 5 mm5\text{ mm}, 10 mm10\text{ mm} and 20 mm20\text{ mm}

(c) 12 cm12\text{ cm}, 20 cm20\text{ cm} and 40 cm40\text{ cm}

Q5

Which of the following lengths can be the sidelengths of a triangle? Explain your answers. Note that for each set, the three lengths have the same unit of measure.

(a) 2,2,52, 2, 5 (b) 3,4,63, 4, 6 (c) 2,4,82, 4, 8 (d) 5,5,85, 5, 8 (e) 10,20,2510, 20, 25 (f) 10,20,3510, 20, 35 (g) 24,26,2824, 26, 28

Q6

Check if a triangle exists for each of the following set of lengths:

(a) 1, 100, 100

(b) 3, 6, 9

(c) 1, 1, 5

(d) 5, 10, 12

Q7

Does there exist an equilateral triangle with sides 50, 50, 50? In general, does there exist an equilateral triangle of any sidelength? Justify your answer.

Q8

For each of the following, give at least 5 possible values for the third length so there exists a triangle having these as sidelengths (decimal values could also be chosen):

(a) 11, 100100

(b) 55, 55

(c) 33, 77

See if you can describe all possible lengths of the third side in each case, so that a triangle exists with those sidelengths. For example, in case (a), all numbers strictly between 9999 and 101101 would be possible.

Q9

Construct triangles for the following measurements where the angle is included between the sides:

(a) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 7575^\circ, 7 cm7\text{ cm}

(b) 6 cm6\text{ cm}, 2525^\circ, 3 cm3\text{ cm}

(c) 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 120120^\circ, 8 cm8\text{ cm}

Q10

Construct triangles for the following measurements:

(a) 7575^\circ, 5 cm5\text{ cm}, 7575^\circ

(b) 2525^\circ, 3 cm3\text{ cm}, 6060^\circ

(c) 120120^\circ, 6 cm6\text{ cm}, 3030^\circ

Q11

For each of the following angles, find another angle for which a triangle is (a) possible, (b) not possible. Find at least two different angles for each category:

(a) 3030^\circ

(b) 7070^\circ

(c) 5454^\circ

(d) 144144^\circ

Q12

Determine which of the following pairs can be the angles of a triangle and which cannot:

(a) 3535^\circ, 150150^\circ

(b) 7070^\circ, 3030^\circ

(c) 9090^\circ, 8585^\circ

(d) 5050^\circ, 150150^\circ

Q13

Find the third angle of a triangle (using a parallel line) when two of the angles are:

(a) 36,7236^\circ, 72^\circ

(b) 150,15150^\circ, 15^\circ

(c) 90,3090^\circ, 30^\circ

(d) 75,4575^\circ, 45^\circ

Q14

Can you construct a triangle all of whose angles are equal to 7070^\circ? If two of the angles are 7070^\circ what would the third angle be? If all the angles in a triangle have to be equal, then what must its measure be? Explore and find out.

Q15

Here is a triangle in which we know B=C\angle B = \angle C and A=50\angle A = 50^\circ. Can you find B\angle B and C\angle C?

Q16

Construct a triangle ABCABC with BC=5 cmBC = 5\text{ cm}, AB=6 cmAB = 6\text{ cm}, CA=5 cmCA = 5\text{ cm}. Construct an altitude from AA to BCBC.

Q17

Construct a triangle TRYTRY with RY=4 cmRY = 4\text{ cm}, TR=7 cmTR = 7\text{ cm}, R=140\angle R = 140^\circ. Construct an altitude from TT to RYRY.

Q18

Construct a right-angled triangle ΔABC\Delta \text{ABC} with B=90\angle B = 90^\circ, AC=5 cm\text{AC} = 5 \text{ cm}. How many different triangles exist with these measurements?

[Hint: Note that the other measurements can take any values. Take AC\text{AC} as the base. What values can A\angle A and C\angle C take so that the other angle is 9090^\circ?]

Q19

Through construction, explore if it is possible to construct an equilateral triangle that is: (i) right-angled (ii) obtuse-angled.

Also construct an isosceles triangle that is: (i) right-angled (ii) obtuse-angled.

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