Triangle Congruence

Triangle Congruence: SSS and SAS

Key Objectives
Apply SSS and SAS to construct triangles and to solve problems.
Prove triangles congruent by using SSS and SAS.

Key Terms
The property of triangle rigidity states that if the side lengths of a triangle are given, the triangle can have only one shape.
An included angle is an angle formed by two adjacent sides of a polygon.

Theorems, Postulates, Corollaries, and Properties

Side-Side-Side (SSS) Congruence Postulate If three sides of one triangle are congruent to three sides of another triangle,
then the triangles are congruent.
Side-Angle-Side (SAS) Congruence Postulate If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are congruent to two
sides and the included angle of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

Example 1 Using SSS to Prove Triangle Congruence

By the property of triangle rigidity, if the sides of a triangle
are known, then that triangle can have only one shape. It
follows that if the sides of another triangle are also known,
and those sides are all congruent to the first triangle's sides,
then the two triangles must have the same shape. Any two
figures with the same size and shape are congruent. Therefore,
if the sides of one triangle are congruent to the sides of
another triangle, then those two triangles must be congruent.

To show that two triangles are congruent by SSS, just show

that the three pairs of corresponding sides are congruent.
In this example, the given figure is a quadrilateral (four-sided
polygon) with a segment NP that divides it into two triangles.
In the figure it is given that each pair of opposite sides of the
quadrilateral are congruent, MN OP and MP ON. So,
two sides of MNP are congruent to two sides of OPN.
The third side of each triangle is formed by the diagonal
segment, NP. NP is a side for each triangle and it is congruent
to itself by the Reflexive Property of Congruence. So, since
the three sides of MNP are congruent to the corresponding
three sides of OPN, MNP OPN by SSS.

Example 2 Using SAS to Prove Triangle Congruence

By the SAS Congruence Postulate, two triangles are congruent
when two sides and the included angle of one triangle are
congruent to two sides and the included angle of another
triangle. Note that the included angle is the angle formed by
two adjacent sides.

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Geometry

To show that two triangles are congruent by SAS, show that

two sides and their included angle in the first triangle are
congruent to two sides and their included angle in the second
triangle.
In this example, one pair of angles and one pair of sides are
given to be congruent in ACB and ACD. So, to use SAS
to show that these two triangles are congruent, show that a
second pair of sides are congruent. However, the pair of sides
must be the sides that make
BAC and DAC the included angle.

Example 3 Verifying Triangle Congruence

The lengths of the sides of YXZ are unknown in this
example. But expressions that represent the length of each
side of YXZ are given.
XZ = x + 1
YZ = x + 4
XY = 2x 3
Substitute 5 for x into each expression and simplify.
XZ = 5 + 1 = 6
YZ = 5 + 4 = 9
XY = 2(5) 3 = 7
Therefore, VW = XZ, UW = YZ, and UV = XY. So, by the
definition of congruence, each of these pairs of sides is
congruent. Since the three sides of UVW are congruent to
the three sides of YXZ, the two triangles are congruent by
SSS.
In this example, mE, EF, and DE are represented by
expressions.
mE = (7x + 2)
EF = 5x + 1
DE = 3x 2
To show that the triangles are congruent for the given value
of the variable, x = 4, first substitute 4 into each expression
and simplify.
mE = (7(4) + 2) = 30
EF = 5(4) + 1 = 21
DE = 3(4) 2 = 10
Therefore, mB = mE, BC = EF, and AB = DE. So, by the
definition of congruence, each of these pairs of sides is
congruent and the included angles are congruent. Since two
sides and the included angle of ABC are congruent to two
sides and the included angle of DEF, the two triangles are
congruent by SAS.

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Triangle Congruence

Example 4 Proving Triangles Congruent

It is given that the two lines are parallel in this example. So,
consider the theorems related to parallel lines, such as the
Alternate Interior Angles Theorem. The Alternate Interior
Angles Theorem states that if two lines are parallel and cut
by a transversal, then the pairs of alternate interior angles are
congruent. In this figure, DAB and ADC are a pair of
alternate interior angles. Therefore, DAB ADC.

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