GreenlightTestPrep wrote:
In triangle ABC, side AC has length 12, and side AB has length 5.
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
length of side BC |
13 |
TIP: Some students will recognize that 5 and 12 are two measurements of the Pythagorean triple 5-12-13, BUT this doesn't necessarily mean that side BC has length 13.
If we only know the lengths of two sides of a triangle (without any additional information), then there are infinitely-many triangles that can be created using those two side lengths. In the diagram below, the blue side has length 5, and the red side has length 12:
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/Gy1n6GG.png)
So, triangle ABC COULD have lengths 5, 12 and 13, in which case side BC has length 13.
However, side BC could also have lengths that are less than 13 and greater than 13.
Answer: D