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C. Part A

Let BE = x² - 48 and let DE = 2x. What are the lengths of BE and DE?
Justify your answer.
Enter your answer and your justification in the space provided.

C. Part A Let BE = x² - 48 and let DE = 2x. What are the lengths of BE and DE? Justify-example-1

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

A. BE = DE = 16

B. rectangle

Explanation:

The diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other. The diagonals of a rectangle are the same length.

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A. diagonal BD

Point E is the midpoint of diagonal BD of the parallelogram, so we have ...

BE = DE

x² -48 = 2x

x² -2x -48 = 0 . . . . . put in standard form

(x -8)(x +6) = 0 . . . . factor

x = 8 or -6 . . . . . . values that satisfy the equation

We know the lengths have positive values, so the only value of x that works in this problem is x=8. Then the halves of diagonal BD are ...

BE = DE = 2x = 2(8)

BE = DE = 16

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B. comparison of diagonals

We know also that E is the midpoint of diagonal AC, so its length is ...

AC = 2×AE = 2×16 = 32

From the above, we know that ...

BD = BE +DE = 16 +16 = 32

The two diagonals are the same length, so the figure is a rectangle.

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Additional comment

If we knew something about the side lengths or the angle at which the diagonals cross, we could further classify the figure. Congruent adjacent sides, or perpendicular diagonals would mean this rectangle is a square.

User Amitdatta
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