Math Problem Statement

Prove that in triangles ABC and AEC two angles and the angle in front of the shortest side are respectively equal but the triangles aren't congruent.

Solution

To prove that in triangles ABCABC and AECAEC, two angles and the angle in front of the shortest side are respectively equal, but the triangles aren't congruent, we need to analyze the provided diagram step by step.

Analysis of the Diagram:

  1. Notation:

    • The diagram shows triangles ABCABC and AECAEC.
    • It also indicates that AB=ACAB = AC (isosceles triangle ABCABC).
  2. Angle Relations:

    • Both triangles share the angle at AA, which means BAC=EAC\angle BAC = \angle EAC.
    • Since AB=ACAB = AC, ABC=ACB\angle ABC = \angle ACB (base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal).
    • Similarly, because AB=ACAB = AC, EAC=ACE\angle EAC = \angle ACE (base angles of an isosceles triangle).
  3. Shortest Sides:

    • In ABC\triangle ABC, the shortest side would be BCBC if ABAB and ACAC are equal.
    • In AEC\triangle AEC, the shortest side is likely ECEC assuming that EE lies on BCBC, thus EC<BCEC < BC.
  4. Angle Comparison:

    • AEC\angle AEC and ABC\angle ABC are equal as they correspond to the angle between the same pair of sides ACAC and BCBC.
    • ACE=ABC\angle ACE = \angle ABC as both angles are in front of the shortest sides ECEC and BCBC respectively.

Proof:

Now, we demonstrate that the triangles are not congruent despite having two equal angles and equal angles in front of their shortest sides:

  1. Equal Angles:

    • BAC=EAC\angle BAC = \angle EAC
    • ABC=ACB\angle ABC = \angle ACB
  2. Equal Angles in Front of Shortest Sides:

    • ACB=ACE\angle ACB = \angle ACE

Since two angles are equal, by the Angle-Angle (AA) similarity criterion, the triangles ABC\triangle ABC and AEC\triangle AEC are similar. However, similar triangles have the same shape but are not necessarily congruent (they may differ in size).

  1. Side Lengths:
    • The lengths of sides BCBC and ECEC are different. This difference in side lengths means that the triangles are not congruent because congruent triangles require all corresponding sides to be equal in length.

Conclusion:

Therefore, triangles ABCABC and AECAEC have two equal angles and the angle in front of the shortest side equal, but they are not congruent because the corresponding sides differ in length.


Would you like more details or have any further questions?

Here are five questions related to this topic:

  1. What is the Angle-Angle (AA) similarity criterion in triangles?
  2. How can we prove that two triangles are congruent?
  3. What are the properties of isosceles triangles?
  4. How do we identify the shortest side in a triangle?
  5. What is the significance of corresponding angles in similar triangles?

Tip: In geometry, always check the side lengths when comparing triangles to distinguish between similarity and congruence.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Triangle Geometry
Congruence and Similarity

Formulas

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Theorems

Angle-Angle (AA) Similarity Criterion

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-10