The sides of a triangle

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Question from felicia, a parent:

ona map, tannersville, chadwick, and barkersvile for a triangle. Chadwick is
70 miles from Tannersville and Barkersville is 90 miles from Tannersville. Which is a
possible distance between Chadwick and Barkersville?
a. 5miles
b. 10 miles
c. 150miles
d. 200 miles

Felicia,

Draw a line that is 4 inches long. Now try to draw a triangle with the 4 inch side as the base and the other two sides 1 inch long and 2 inches long. Why can't you do it? What if the additional sides are 3 inches long and 6 inches long? What if they are 1 inch long and 3 inches long? How about 10 inches long and 2 inches long?

Now imagine you have a base that is 90 miles long and two additional sides that are 70 miles long and 5 miles long. Can you f0rm a triangle?

Harley

Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.