Question

Two sides of a triangle have lengths 16 and 17. Which expression describes the length of the third side?

Answer 1

We can use the triangle inequality theorem to determine the possible lengths of the third side of the triangle. According to the theorem, the length of any side of a triangle must be less than the sum of the lengths of the other two sides and greater than the difference of the lengths of the other two sides.

So, for a triangle with sides of length 16 and 17, the length of the third side must satisfy the following inequality:

17 - 16 < third side < 17 + 16

1 < third side < 33

Therefore, the length of the third side must be described by the expression:

1 < third side < 33

Explanation: