analyze the congruency of the two triangles in the picture, presumably triangles ABC and DEC.
For triangles to be congruent, they must satisfy one of the congruency theorems: SSS (Side-Side-Side), SAS (Side-Angle-Side), ASA (Angle-Side-Angle), AAS (Angle-Angle-Side), or HL (Hypotenuse-Leg for right triangles).
Here's what we know:
1. AC = EC: Given as congruent.
2. Angle A = Angle E: Given as congruent because AB is parallel to DE, which by alternate interior angles theorem means angle A and angle E are equal.
3. Angle C: It is shared by both triangles (triangle ABC and triangle DEC), so it's congruent by the reflexive property.
With these three pieces of congruent information, we can now say that the triangles are congruent by the ASA (Angle-Side-Angle) postulate. This postulate states that if two angles and the included side of one triangle are congruent to two angles and the included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.
So, to put it formally:
- Triangle ABC is congruent to triangle DEC (ΔABC ≅ ΔDEC) by the ASA postulate because:
- AC = EC (Given)
- Angle A = Angle E (Alternate interior angles are equal since AB || DE)
- Angle C = Angle C (Shared angle, reflexive property of congruence)
Thus, the triangles are congruent based on the parts that are congruent, as explained above.