Congruent Triangles

A very important topic in the study of geometry is congruence. Thus far, we have only learned about
congruent angles, but in this section we will learn about the criteria necessary for triangles to be
congruent. Learning about congruence on this level will open the door to different triangle
congruence theorems that characterize geometry.

Corresponding Parts
Recall that in order for lines or angles to be congruent, they had to have equal measures. In that
same way, congruent triangles are triangles with corresponding sides and angles that are congruent,
giving them the same size and shape. Because side and angle correspondence is important, we have
to be careful with the way we name triangles. For instance, if we have ?ABC??DEF, the congruence
between triangles implies the following:
It is important to name triangles correctly to identify which segments are equal in length and to see
which angles have the same measures.

In short, we say that two triangles are congruent if their corresponding parts (which include lines
and angles) are congruent. In a two-column geometric proof, we could explain congruence between
triangles by saying that "corresponding parts of congruent triangles are congruent." This
statement is rather long, however, so we can just write "CPCTC" for short.

Third Angles Theorem

In some instances we will need a very significant theorem to help us prove congruence between two
triangles. If we know that two angles of two separate triangles are congruent, our inclination is to
believe that their third angles are equal because of the Triangle Angle Sum Theorem.

This type of reasoning is correct and is a very helpful theorem to use when trying to prove
congruence between triangles. The Third Angles Theorem states that if two angles of one triangle
are congruent to two angles of another triangle, then the third angles of the triangles are congruent
also.

Let's take a look at some exercises to put our knowledge of congruent triangles, CPCTC, and the
Third Angles Theorem to work.

Examples
(1) Which of the following expresses the correct congruence statement for the figure
below?

(a)

(b)
(c)

(d)

Solution:

While it may not seem important, the order in which you list the vertices of a triangle is very
significant when trying to establish congruence between two triangles. Essentially what we want to
do is find the answer that helps us correspond the triangles' points, sides, and angles. The answer
that corresponds these characteristics of the triangles is (b).

In answer (b), we see that ?PQR ? ?LJK. Let's start off by comparing the vertices of the triangles.
In the first triangle, the point P is listed first. This corresponds to the point L on the other triangle.
We know that these points match up because congruent angles are shown at those points. Listed
next in the first triangle is point Q. We compare this to point J of the second triangle. Again, these
match up because the angles at those points are congruent. Finally, we look at the points R and K.
The angles at those points are congruent as well.

We can also look at the sides of the triangles to see if they correspond. For instance, we could
compare side PQ to side LJ. The figure indicates that those sides of the triangles are congruent. We
can also look at two more pairs of sides to make sure that they correspond. Sides QR and JK have
three tick marks each, which shows that they are congruent. Finally, sides RP and KJ are congruent
in the figure. Thus, the correct congruence statement is shown in (b).

(2) Find the values of x and y given that ?MAS ? ?NER.

Solution:

We have two variables we need to solve for. It would be easiest to use the 16x to solve for x first
(because it is a single-variable expression), as opposed to using the side NR, would require us to try
to solve for x and y at the same time. We must look for the angle that correspond to ?E so we can
set the measures equal to each other. The angle that corresponds to ?E is ?A, so we get

Now that we have solved for x, we must use it to help us solve for y. The side that RN corresponds
to is SM, so we go through a similar process like we did before.

Now we substitute 7 for x to solve for y:

We have finished solving for the desired variables.

(3) Given:

Prove:

Solution:
To begin this problem, we must be conscious of the information that has been given to us. We know
that two pairs of sides are congruent and that one set of angles is congruent. In order to prove the
congruence of ?RQT and ?SQT, we must show that the three pairs of sides and the three pairs of
angles are congruent.

Since QS is shared by both triangles, we can use the Reflexive Property to show that the
segment is congruent to itself. We have now proven congruence between the three pairs of sides.
The congruence of the other two pairs of sides were already given to us, so we are done proving
congruence between the sides.

Now we must show that all angles are congruent within the triangles. One pair has already been
given to us, so we must show that the other two pairs are congruent. It has been given to us
thatQT bisects ?RQS. By the definition of an angle bisector, we know that two equivalent angles
exist at vertex Q. The final pairs of angles are congruent by the Third Angles Theorem (since the
other two pairs of corresponding angles of the triangles were congruent). We conclude that the
triangles are congruent because corresponding parts of congruent triangles are congruent. The two-
column geometric proof that shows our reasoning is below.

(4) Given:

Prove:
Solution:

We are given that the three pairs of corresponding sides are congruent, so we do not have to worry
about this part of the problem; we only need to worry about proving congruence between
corresponding angles.

We are only given that one pair of corresponding angles is congruent, so we must determine a way
to prove that the other two pairs of corresponding angles are congruent. We do this by showing
that ?ACB and ?ECD are vertical angles. So, by theVertical Angles Theorem, we know that they
are congruent to each other. Now that we know that two of the three pairs of corresponding angles
of the triangles are congruent, we can use the Third Angles Theorem. This theorem states that if
we have two pairs of corresponding angles that are congruent, then the third pair must also be
congruent.

Since all three pairs of sides and angles have been proven to be congruent, we know the two
triangles are congruent by CPCTC. The two-column geometric proof that shows our reasoning is
below.
Inequalities and Relationships Within a Triangle
A lot of information can be derived from even the simplest characteristics of triangles. In this
section, we will learn about the inequalities and relationships within a triangle that reveal
information about triangle sides and angles. First, let's take a look at two significant inequalities that
characterize triangles.

Inequalities of a Triangle
Recall that an inequality is a mathematical expression about the relative size or order of two objects.
In geometry, we see the use of inequalities when we speak about the length of a triangle's sides, or
the measure of a triangle's angles. Let's begin our study of the inequalities of a triangle by looking
at the Triangle Inequality Theorem.

Triangle Inequality Theorem

The sum of the lengths of two sides of a triangle must always be greater than the length of the third
side.

Let's take a look at what this theorem means in terms of the triangle we have below.
The Triangle Inequality Theorem yields three inequalities:

Since all of the inequalities are satisfied in the figure, we know those three side lengths can form to
create a triangle.

It is important to understand that each inequality must be satisfied. If for some reason, a triangle
were to have one side whose length was greater than the sum of the other two sides, we would
have a triangle that has a segment that is either too short (so that the triangle is not closed), or too
long (so that a side of the triangle extends too far).
All of our inequalities are not satisfied in the diagram above. The original illustration shows an open
figure as a result of the shortness of segment HG. If we rotate segment FG to FG' so that the
segment does connect to form a closed figure, we see that FG' is too long.

Now, we will look at an inequality that involves exterior angles.

Exterior Angle Inequality Theorem

The measure of an exterior angle of a triangle is greater than the measure of either of its remote
interior angles.

For this theorem, we only have two inequalities since we are just comparing an exterior angle to the
two remote interior angles of a triangle.

Let's take a look at what this theorem means in terms of the illustration we have below.
By the Exterior Angle Inequality Theorem, we have the following two pieces of information:

We will use this theorem again in a proof at the end of this section. Now, let's study some angle-
side triangle relationships.

Relationships of a Triangle
The placement of a triangle's sides and angles is very important. We have worked with triangles
extensively, but one important detail we have probably overlooked is the relationship between a
triangle's sides and angles. These angle-side relationships characterize all triangles, so it will be
important to understand these relationships in order to enrich our knowledge of triangles.

Angle-Side Relationships
If one side of a triangle is longer than another side, then the angle opposite the longer side will
have a greater degree measure than the angle opposite the shorter side.

Converse also true: If one angle of a triangle has a greater degree measure than another angle,
then the side opposite the greater angle will be longer than the side opposite the smaller angle.

In short, we just need to understand that the larger sides of a triangle lie opposite of larger angles,
and that the smaller sides of a triangle lie opposite of smaller angles. Let's look at the figures below
to organize this concept pictorially.

Since segment BC is the longest side, the angle opposite of this side, ?A, is has the largest measure
in ?ABC.
 Our smallest angle, ?C, tells us that segment AB is the smallest side of ?ABC.

Now, we can work on some exercises to utilize our knowledge of the inequalities and relationships
within a triangle.

Exercise 1
In the figure below, what range of length is possible for the third side, x, to be.

Answer:

When considering the side lengths of a triangle, we want to use the Triangle Inequality
Theorem. Recall, that this theorem requires us to compare the length of one side of the triangle,
with the sum of the other two sides. The sum of the two sides should always be greater than the
length of one side in order for the figure to be a triangle. Let's write our first inequality.
So, we know that x must be greater than 3. Let's see if our next inequality helps us narrow down
the possible values of x.

This inequality has shown us that the value of xcan be no more than 17. Let's work out our final
inequality.

This final inequality does not help us narrow down our options because we were already aware of
the fact that x had to be greater than 3. Moreover, side lengths of triangles cannot be negative, so
we can disregard this inequality.

Combining our first two inequalities yields

So, using the Triangle Inequality Theorem shows us that x must have a length
between 3 and 17.

Exercise 2
List the angles in order from least to greatest measure.
Answer:

For this exercise, we want to use the information we know about angle-side relationships. Since all
side lengths have been given to us, we just need to order them in order from least to greatest, and
then look at the angles opposite those sides.

In order from least to greatest, our sides are PQ,QR, and RP. This means that the angles opposite
those sides will be ordered from least to greatest. So, in order from least to greatest angle measure,
we have ?R, ?P, and then ?Q.

Exercise 3
Which side of the triangle below is the smallest?

Answer:
In order to find out which side of the triangle is the smallest, we must first figure out which angle of
the triangle is the smallest (because the smallest side will be opposite the smallest angle). So, we
must use the Triangle Angle Sum Theorem to figure out the measure of the missing angle.

Since ?V has the smallest measure, we know that the side opposite this angle has the smallest
length. The corresponding side is segment DE, soDE is the shortest side of ?DEV.

Exercise 4

Answer:
While it may not immediately be clear that there are two exterior angles given in the diagram, we
must notice them in order to establish a relationship between the two triangles' angles. The exterior
angle we will focus on is ?JKM.

We have been given that ?KLM and ?KMJ are congruent, which means that the measure of their
angles is equal.

We also know that the measure of ?JKM Is greater than either of the remote interior angles of
?KLM. Thus, we know that the measure of ?JKM is greater than the measure of ?KLM.

We have already established equivalence between the measures of ?KLM and ?KMJ, so but
substitution, we have that the measure of ?JKM is greater than the measure of ?KMJ. The two-
column geometric proof for our argument is shown below.

Exercise 5 (Challenging)
Answer:

This problem will require us to use severaltheorems and postulates we have practiced in the past.
Judging by the conclusion we want to arrive at, we will most likely have to utilize the Triangle
Inequality Theorem also.

We begin by noticing that segments AD and BE are parallel. This fact allows us to say that ?A is
congruent to ?E by the Alternate Interior Angle Theorem (with segment AE as the transversal
touching the set of parallel lines).

We were also given that C is the midpoint of segment AE. This tells us that AC and CE are equal in
length because midpoints mark the middle of a line segment.

Next, we can say that ?ACD and ?ECB are congruent since they are vertical angles. In other words,
they have the same angle measure.

By the ASA Postulate, we can say that ?ACD??ECB, since we have two pairs of congruent angles
and one pair of congruent sides.

Now, we turn our attention to ?ACD. The Triangle Inequality Theorem, which states that the
sum of the lengths of two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third side, helps
us show that the sum of segments AC and CD is greater than the length of AD.

We know that CD and CB are equal in length since they are corresponding parts of congruent
triangles, so we can substitute CB in for CD to arrive at our conclusion. Because there is a lot of
information to follow, we have a new illustration of this problem below that shows congruent sides
and angles.
Our two-column geometric proof is shown below. It is easier to follow than the proof in paragraph
form we have already provided.

Isosceles and Equilateral Triangles

In the first section of our study of triangles, we learned how to classify triangles by the measures of
their angles and by the lengths of their sides. However, aside from the names we give triangles, it
will be important to understand and recognize the characteristics that make certain triangles special.
In this section, we will take a closer look at the properties of some unique
figures: isoscelesand equilateral triangles.
Isosceles Triangles
Let's begin our study of isosceles triangles by learning new terminology that will help us identify
various characteristics of these kinds of triangles. Recall that an isosceles triangle is a triangle with
at least two congruent sides. These congruent sides are called legs. The point at which these legs
meet is called the vertex point of the isosceles triangle, and the angle formed by the legs is called
thevertex angle. The other two angles of the triangle are called base angles. A labeled illustration
of an isosceles triangle is shown below.

In the past, we determined isosceles triangles by the lengths of their sides. In other words, if we
saw that a triangle had two sides with equal lengths, then we classified the triangle as isosceles.
There are other characteristics that mark isosceles triangles, however. Let's look at an important
theorem that gives us even more information about these kinds of triangles.

Isosceles Triangle Theorem

If two sides of a triangle are congruent, then the angles opposite those sides are congruent.
Converse also true: If two angles of a triangle are congruent, then the sides opposite those angles
are congruent.

We will practice using these theorems to help us solve the following exercises.

Exercise 1
Determine the values of x and y.
Solution:

In the diagram, we are given that ?A is 52°. Because the side opposite of ?A is congruent to the
side opposite of ?C, we know that the angles are also congruent by the Isosceles Triangle
Theorem. Thus, the value of y is 52.

Now, let's try to determine the value of x. In order to figure this out, we must use the Triangle
Angle Sum Theorem to figure out what the total degree measure is at ?B.

Since we've determined that ?B must have a measure of 76°, we can write an algebraic equation to
help us solve for x. This method is shown below.

We subtract 6 from both sides of the equation.

Now, we divide by 14 to find x.

Our answers are x = 14 and y = 52.

Exercise 2

Solution:

Let's look at the information we've been given to see which direction we'd like to take this problem
in. We are given that ?TUS and ?QSR are congruent.

Now, let's try to find a special relationship that either ?TUS or ?QSR may have with another angle
in the diagram. Notice that ?QSR and ?TSU are vertical angles, so by the Vertical Angles
Theorem, we can say that they are congruent to each other.
We can now apply the Transitive Property to show that ?TUS and ?TSU are congruent.

Finally, by the Isosceles Triangle Theorem, we know that the sides opposite of two congruent
angles are also congruent. Thus, segments TS andTU are congruent to each other. Our new
diagram and the two-column geometric proof for this exercise are shown below.

Exercise 3
Determine the values of x and y in the figure below.
Solution:

We first want to notice that ?BCA and ?BCD are supplementary. Recall, that this means that their
sum of their degree measures is 180. Thus we will try to determine the measure of ?BCA:

By the Triangle Angle Sum Theorem, we know that the sum of ?A, ?B, and ?BCA is 180°, so
we will try to determine the values of x and y by figuring out what the sum of ?A and ?B should be.

Together, ?A and ?B should have a measure of 124.

Let's look at the diagram again. Notice that segment AC is congruent to segment BC. So, by
theIsosceles Triangle Theorem, we know that ?A is congruent to ?B (since they are the angles
opposite of the congruent sides). Therefore, we can divide the remainder of the angle measures of
the triangle, 124, by the two congruent angles to determine what the measure of each angle should
be. When we do this, we see that ?A and ?B should come out to 62° each.

To solve for x, we have

To solve for y, we have

So, we have x = 31 and y = 4.

Equilateral Triangles
Equilateral triangles are another type of triangle with unique characteristics. Knowledge of these
kinds of triangles will assist us in some of the proofs and exercises we will encounter in the future,
so let's take a closer look at the traits that make equilateral triangles special.

While the following characteristics of equilateral triangles are not theorems or postulates, they are
statements we can use in our proofs. The following statements are called corollaries. Corollaries
are proven results that rely heavily on one theorem. The following corollaries of equilateral triangles
are a result of the Isosceles Triangle Theorem:

(1) A triangle is equilateral if and only if it is equiangular.

(2) Each angle of an equilateral triangle has a degree measure of 60.

 The congruent sides of the triangle imply that all the angles are congruent. We can also use the
converse of this, which is that three congruent angles imply three congruent sides in a triangle. Each
of the angles above is 60°.

Let's practice using these corollaries in the following exercises.

Exercise 4
Determine the values of x and y in the diagram below.

Solution:
In order to solve this problem, we must recognize the fact that the triangle shown is an equilateral
triangle. We notice this by the tick marks on all three sides of the triangle. This indicates to us that
all three sides of the triangle are congruent.

Moreover, we must be able to understand the relationship between the angles of the triangle. In
order to solve for x, we will need to keep in consideration that every angle of an equilateral triangle
is 60°.

We will solve for x first. In order to do this, we need to use the information given to us about the
sides of the triangles to solve for x. We will set 2(2x + 1) equal to 14 since equilateral triangles
have congruent sides. Thus, we have

Now that we have solved for x, let's determine the value for y. This part of the exercise requires our
knowledge of the angles of equilateral triangles. As mentioned before, every angle has a measure
of60, so we have

We have already determined the value of x, so we can plug this value right into our equation to
solve for y.

Thus, we get x = 3 and y = 6.

Exercise 5

Solution:

First, we will consider the information we've been given to see if we can derive any more useful
information from it. We are given that ?RQS and ?TQS are congruent, as shown in the diagram.
Also, we are told that ?RQT is an equilateral triangle. This fact will be of use to us as we continue
the exercise.

Since ?RQT is an equilateral triangle, we know that all three sides and angles of the triangle are
congruent. Thus, we can say that segments RQ andTQ are congruent to each other.

Now, we have one pair of sides and one pair of angles that are congruent to each other. If we can
prove that one more pair of corresponding sides of ?RQS and ?TQS are congruent, then we can
use the SAS Postulate to prove that the triangles are congruent. Indeed, if we use the Reflexive
Property to show that QS is congruent to itself, we see that the two triangles are congruent to
each other. Now, our figure looks like this:
Finally, we can say that segment RS is congruent to segment TS because they are corresponding
sides of congruent triangles, so they are congruent. Our two-column proof is shown below.

Right Triangle Congruence

Isosceles and equilateral triangles aren't the only classifications of triangles with special
characteristics. Right triangles are also significant in the study of geometry and, as we will see, we
will be able to prove the congruence of right triangles in an efficient way.

Before we begin learning this, however, it is important to break down right triangles into parts.
Learning terms that refer to the parts of a right triangle will help us avoid confusion throughout this
section.

All right triangles have two legs, which may or may not be congruent. The legs of a right triangle
meet at a right angle. The other side of the triangle (that does not form any part of the right
angle), is called the hypotenuse of the right triangle. This side of the right triangle will always be
the longest of all three sides. The angles of a right triangle that are not the right angle must be
acute angles.

Now, let's learn what the Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem is and how to apply it.

Hypotenuse-Leg (HL) Theorem

If the hypotenuse and one leg of a right triangle are equal to the hypotenuse and one leg of another
right triangle, then the two right triangles are congruent.

Recall that the criteria for our congruence postulates have called for three pairs of congruent parts
between triangles. The HL Theorem essentially just calls for congruence between two parts: the
hypotenuse and a leg. Let's look at an illustration that shows the correct way to use the
Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem.
 In the figure, we have congruent hypotenuses (AB?DE) and congruent legs (CA?FD).

We are ready to begin practicing with the HL Theorem. Let's go through the following exercises to
get a feel for how to use this helpful theorem.

Exercise 1
What additional information do we need in order to prove that the triangles below are
congruent by the Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem?

Answer:

Notice that both triangles are right triangles because they both have one right angle in them.
Therefore, if we can prove that the hypotenuses of the triangles and one leg of each triangle are
congruent, we will be able to apply the HL Theorem.
Looking at the diagram, we notice that segmentsSQ and VT are congruent. Recall that the side of a
right triangle that does not form any part of the right angle is called the hypotenuse. So, the
diagram shows that we have congruent hypotenuses.

No other information about the triangles is given to us, though. Had we been given that another pair
of legs was congruent, then our criteria for using the HL Theorem would have been satisfied. Below,
we show two situations in which we could have used the HL Theorem to prove that ?QRS??TUV.

In the diagram above, we are given all of the same information as in the original, as well as the fact
that segments QR and TU are congruent. We could have applied the HL Theorem in this situation to
prove congruence.

In the diagram above, we note that all of the original information has been given to us as well as
the fact that RS and UV are congruent. Here, we could have applied the HL Theorem to prove that
the triangles are congruent.
Exercise 2
In which of the following figures could we use the Hypotenuse-Leg Theorem to show
that the triangles are congruent?

(a)

(b)

(c)
(d)

Answer:

Let's take a closer look at all of the diagrams to determine which of them show a pair of congruent
triangles by the HL Theorem.
In (a), it appears as though we might be able to use the HL Theorem. However, upon careful
examination, we note that the angles at vertices Aand D are not right angles. Because a square is
not used to indicate that the angles are right angles, we cannot use the HL Theorem. Recall that the
only type of triangle for which this theorem holds is a right triangle, so we cannot apply it in this
situation.

Figure (b) does show two triangles that are congruent, but not by the HL Theorem. We are given
that segment FG is congruent to segment HG and that segment EG is congruent to segment IG.
We also have right angles that form at G. Because we have two sides and the included angle of one
triangle congruent to the corresponding parts of the other triangle, we know that the triangles are
congruent by the SAS Postulate. However, we are not given any information regarding the
hypotenuses of ?EGF and ?IHG, so we cannot apply the HL Theorem to prove that the triangles are
congruent.

Now, let's look at (c). Notice that we have two right angles in the figure: ?JLK and ?JLM. Also, we
have been given the fact that segment JK is congruent to segment JM. These segments are actually
the hypotenuses of the triangles because they lie on the side opposite of the right angle. Moreover,
the two triangles in the figure share segment JL. By transitivity, we know that the segment is
congruent to itself. Thus, we can apply the HL Theorem to prove that ?JKL??JML, since we know
that the triangles are right triangles, their hypotenuses are congruent, and they have a pair of legs
that are congruent.

Finally, we have the figure for (d). We have been given that there are right angles at
vertices O andQ. We can also imply that ?NPO and ?RPQ are congruent because they are vertical
angles. This will not help us try to prove that the triangles are congruent by the HL Theorem,
however. What we are looking for is information about the legs or hypotenuses of the triangles.
Since we cannot deduce any more facts from the diagram that will help us, we cannot apply the HL
Theorem in this situation.

Therefore, we can only apply the HL Theorem in (c)to show that the triangles are congruent.

Exercise 3
Answer:

We want to examine the information that has been given to us in the problem. We know that
segment RV is perpendicular to segment SK, and that segments SR and KR are congruent. Let's try
to deduce more information from the given statements that may help us prove that ?RSV??RKV.

Since we were given that RV and SK are perpendicular, we know that there exist right angles
at ?RVS and ?RVK. This fact is a key component of our proof because we know
that ?RSV and ?RKV are right triangles. Thus, we can try to use the HL Theorem to prove that they
are congruent to each other.

We have already been given that the hypotenuses are congruent, so all that is left to show is that a
pair of legs of the triangles is congruent. Since they both share segment RV, we can use
the Transitive Property to say that the segment is congruent to itself.

In all, we have found right angles, congruent hypotenuses, and congruent legs between the
triangles, so we apply the HL Theorem to say that ?RSV??RKV. Our new diagram and the two-
column geometric proof are shown below.
The HL Theorem will be used throughout the rest of our study of geometry. There are other
theorems that are specific to right triangles, which we will not study in detail because they are
equivalent to the congruence postulates we've already learned. These theorems and their equivalent
postulates are explained below.

Leg-Leg (LL) Theorem

If the legs of one right triangle are congruent to the legs of another right triangle, then the two right
triangles are congruent.

This statement is the same as the SAS Postulatewe've learned about because it involves two sides
of triangles, as well as the included angle (which is the right angle).

Leg-Acute (LA) Angle Theorem

If a leg and an acute angle of one right triangle are congruent to the corresponding parts of another
right triangle, then the two right triangles are congruent.

This statement is equivalent to the ASA Postulatewe've learned about because it involves right
angles (which are congruent), a pair of sides with the same measure, and congruent acute angles.

Hypotenuse-Acute (HA) Angle Theorem

If the hypotenuse and an acute angle of a right triangle are congruent to the hypotenuse and an
acute angle of another right triangle, then the two triangles are congruent.

This statement is the same as the AAS Postulate because it includes right angles (which are
congruent), two congruent acute angles, and a pair of congruent hypotenuses.
Triangle Congruence - ASA and AAS
We've just studied two postulates that will help us prove congruence between triangles. However,
these postulates were quite reliant on the use of congruent sides. In this section, we will get
introduced to two postulates that involve the angles of triangles much more than the SSS
Postulate and the SAS Postulate did. Understanding these four postulates and being able to
apply them in the correct situations will help us tremendously as we continue our study ofgeometry.
Let's take a look at our next postulate.

ASA Postulate (Angle-Side-Angle)

If two angles and the included side of one triangle are congruent to the corresponding parts of
another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In a sense, this is basically the opposite of the SAS Postulate. The SAS Postulate required
congruence of two sides and the included angle, whereas theASA Postulate requires two angles
and the included side to be congruent. An illustration of this postulate is shown below.

We conclude that ?ABC??DEF by the ASA Postulate because the triangles' two angles and included
side are congruent.

Let's practice using the ASA Postulate to prove congruence between two triangles.
Exercise 1

Solution:

Let's start off this problem by examining the information we have been given. Since
segmentsPQ and RS are parallel, this tells us that we may need to use some of the angle
postulates we've studied in the past. Now, let's look at the other piece of information we've been
given. We know that ?PRQ is congruent to ?SQR. Let's further develop our plan of attack.

We have been given just one pair of congruent angles, so let's look for another pair that we can
prove to be congruent. We can say ?PQR is congruent to ?SQR by the Alternate Interior Angles
Postulate. Recall, we can only use this postulate when a transversal crosses a set of parallel lines.
In this case, our transversal is segment RQ and our parallel lines have been given to us.

Now that we've established congruence between two pairs of angles, let's try to do something with
the included side. The included side is segmentRQ. By using the Reflexive Property to show that
the segment is equal to itself, we now have two pairs of congruent angles, and common shared line
between the angles. Our new illustration is shown below.
We conclude our proof by using the ASA Postulateto show that ?PQR??SRQ. Let's look at
our two-column geometric proof that shows the arguments we've made.

Aside from the ASA Postulate, there is also another congruence postulate that involves two pairs
of congruent angles and one pair of congruent sides. Let's take a look at this postulate now.

AAS Postulate (Angle-Angle-Side)

If two angles and a non-included side of one triangle are congruent to the corresponding parts of
another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

In order to use this postulate, it is essential that the congruent sides not be included between the
two pairs of congruent angles. If the side is included between the angles, we would actually need to
use the ASA Postulate. The correct use of the AAS Postulate is shown below.
We conclude that ?ABC??DEF by the AAS Postulate since we have two pairs of congruent angles and
one pair of congruent sides not included between the angles.

Let's use the AAS Postulate to prove the claim in our next exercise.

Exercise 2

Solution:

Before we begin our proof, let's see how the given information can help us. We have been given
that?NER??NVR, so that is one pair of angles that we do not need to show as congruent.
Now, we must decide on which other angles to show congruence for. We may be able to derive a
key component of this proof from the second piece of information given. Since
segment RNbisects ?ERV, we can show that two congruent angles are formed. By the definition of
an angle bisector, we have that ?ERN??VRN.

The only component of the proof we have left to show is that the triangles have congruent sides.
Luckily for us, the triangles are attached by segment RN. So, we use the Reflexive Property to
show that RN is equal to itself. Let's look at our new figure.

Finally, by the AAS Postulate, we can say that ?ENR??VNR. Note that our side RN is not
included. If it were included, we would use the ASA Postulateto prove that the triangles are
congruent. The two-column proof for this exercise is shown below.
Triangle Congruence - SSS and SAS
We have learned that triangles are congruent if their corresponding sides and angles are congruent.
However, there are excessive requirements that need to be met in order for this claim to hold. In
this section, we will learn two postulates that prove triangles congruent with less information
required. These postulates are useful because they only require three corresponding parts of
triangles to be congruent (rather than six corresponding parts like with CPCTC). Let's take a look at
the first postulate.

SSS Postulate (Side-Side-Side)

If three sides of one triangle are congruent to three sides of another triangle, then the triangles are
congruent.

As you can see, the SSS Postulate does not concern itself with angles at all. Rather, it only focuses
only on corresponding, congruent sides of triangles in order to determine that two triangles are
congruent. An illustration of this postulate is shown below.

We conclude that ?ABC??DEF because all three corresponding sides of the triangles are congruent.

Let's work through an exercise that requires the use of the SSS Postulate.

Exercise 1
Solution:

The only information that we are given that requires no extensive work is that segment JK is
congruent to segment NK. We are given the fact that A is a midpoint, but we will have to analyze
this information to derive facts that will be useful to us.

In the two triangles shown above, we only have one pair of corresponding sides that are equal.
However, we can say that AK is equal to itself by the Reflexive Property to give two more
corresponding sides of the triangles that are congruent.

Finally, we must make something of the fact A is the midpoint of JN. By definition, the midpoint of
a line segment lies in the exact middle of a segment, so we can conclude that JA?NA.

After doing some work on our original diagram, we should have a figure that looks like this:

Now, we have three sides of a triangle that are congruent to three sides of another triangle, so by
the SSS Postulate, we conclude that ?JAK??NAK. Our two column proof is shown below.
We involved no angles in the SSS Postulate, but there are postulates that do include angles. Let's
take a look at one of these postulates now.

SAS Postulate (Side-Angle-Side)

If two sides and the included angle of one triangle are congruent to the corresponding parts of
another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

A key component of this postulate (that is easy to get mistaken) is that the angle must be formed by
the two pairs of congruent, corresponding sides of the triangles. If the angles are not formed by the
two sides that are congruent and corresponding to the other triangle's parts, then we cannot use
theSAS Postulate. We show a correct and incorrect use of this postulate below.

Incorrect:

The diagram above uses the SAS Postulate incorrectly because the angles that are congruent are
not formed by the congruent sides of the triangle.
Correct:

The diagram above uses the SAS Postulate correctly. Notice that the angles that are congruent are
formed by the corresponding sides of the triangle that are congruent.

Let's use the SAS Postulate to prove our claim in this next exercise.

Exercise 2
Solution:

For this solution, we will try to prove that the triangles are congruent by the SAS Postulate. We
are initially given that segments AC and EC are congruent, and that segment BC is congruent toDC.

If we can find a way to prove that ?ACB and ?ECDare congruent, we will be able to prove that the
triangles are congruent because we will have two corresponding sides that are congruent, as well as
congruent included angles. Trying to prove congruence between any other angles would not allow
us to apply the SAS Postulate.

The way in which we can prove that ?ACB and ?ECDare congruent is by applying the Vertical
Angles Theorem. This theorem states that vertical angles are congruent, so we know
that ?ACB and ?ECDhave the same measure. Our figure show look like this:

Now we have two pairs of corresponding, congruent sides, as well as congruent included angles.
Applying the SAS Postulate proves that ?ABC??EDC. The two-column geometric proof for our
argument is shown below.