How to Determine Whether the Triangles Are Congruent

Congruency is an important concept to help establish the properties of geometric figures. Two triangles are congruent if they have exactly the same three sides and exactly the same three angles. Congruent lines and angles are of equal measure. Congruent triangles do not have to be next to one another or facing the same direction. They must simply have the exact same measurements in order to be congruent. There are five ways of measuring triangles to prove if they are congruent.

Things You'll Need

  • Protractor
  • Ruler
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Instructions

    • 1

      Method 1 (side, side, side): Measure the sides of each triangle with a ruler. If the three measurements from each triangle are the same, the triangles are congruent.

    • 2

      Method 2 ( side, angle, side): Measure two of the sides that join each other with a ruler, and measure the angle where they join with a protractor. Repeat for both triangles. If the sides are the same length and the angles are the same, the triangles are congruent.

    • 3

      Method 3 (angle, side, angle): Measure two of the angles with a protractor. Measure the included side that runs between them with a ruler. Repeat for both triangles. If the measurements are the same, the triangles are congruent.

    • 4

      Method 4 (angle, angle, side): Measure two angles with the protractor, and measure any non-included side. Repeat for both triangles. If all measurements are the same, the triangles are congruent.

    • 5

      Method 5 applies only to right-angle triangles, which are triangles with a 90-degree angle. For each triangle, measure the hypotenuse, which is the side opposite the 90-degree angle. Then measure one of the other two legs. If the measurements are equal for both triangles, the triangles are congruent.

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