Drawing Triangles

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Exploration

GR. 6-8

Skill:

Recognize conditions of side lengths that determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.

Drawing Triangles

Discover whether or not a triangle can be formed from three different side lengths. Explore animated answers in this activity.

Putting It All Together

Answer these open ended questions on your own or with others to form deeper math connections.

Open-ended question 1

Triangle has two sides, length 5 cm and 8 cm. Give three possible lengths for the third side.

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Open-ended question 2

Triangle has two sides, length 5 cm and 8 cm. Give three lengths for the third side that are not possible.

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Open-ended question 3

Triangle has two sides, length 12 cm and 30 cm. What is the longest possible length of the third side? What is the shortest possible length of the third side?

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Open-ended question 4

How can you tell if three different lengths will form a triangle?

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