SAA Exploration
- Author:
- Julian Ornelas, dgibson
In the given exploration:
1) You will explore the Side-Angle-Angle (SAA) case. If two angles and a non-included ("not in between") side of one triangle are congruent to the corresponding two angles and non-included side of another, must the triangles be congruent?
2) The measures of the angles at A' and B' are fixed so that they always match the angles at A and B. In addition, segment B'C' will always be congruent to segment BC. You are free to manipulate all the vertices of triangle ABC, and the lengths of the other sides of triangle A'B'C'.
3) Experiment by moving the points around in order to test the theory that Side-Angle-Angle (SAA) is a criteria for triangle congruence.
Answer the following questions on binder paper:
4) Can you find a way to make the two triangles look different from each other? Explain why or why not.
5) Based on your answer to #4, is SAA a valid "shortcut" for triangle congruence?