Question

Mr. Sanchez challenges his students to construct as many unique triangles as they can that have sides of 3 inches, 4 inches, and 8 inches. Which statement correctly describes how many triangles the students can construct with these side lengths?

A
They cannot construct any triangles with the given side lengths.
B
They can construct 1 unique triangle with the given side lengths.
C
They can construct 3 unique triangles with the given side lengths.
D
They can construct infinitely many unique triangles with the given side lengths.

Answer 1

Explanation:

The students cannot construct any triangles with the given side lengths because the sum of the two shorter sides of a triangle must always be greater than the longest side (i.e., the triangle inequality). However, in this case, 3 + 4 = 7, which is less than 8. Therefore, it is not possible to construct a triangle with sides of length 3, 4, and 8 inches.

So, the correct option is A - "They cannot construct any triangles with the given side lengths."