Question

A triangle has two sides of length 2 and 15. What compound inequality describes the possible

lengths for the third side, X?

Answer 1

13<X<17

Explanation:

Triangular Inequalities state that a side is always greater than the absolute value of the difference of the other two sides and less than the sum of the other two sides. You use the inequality |a-b|<c<a+b with a, b, and c as the lengths of the sides.

When you plug in the numbers, (X being c, 2 being b, and 15 being a) you get

|15-2|<X<15+2

|13|<X<17

Which brings us to our final answer of:

13<X<17