Q:

Which statement correctly compares AB and FD?AB and FD are the same length.AB is longer than FD.OAB is shorter than FDAB is shorter than or the same length as FD.

Accepted Solution

A:
Answer:AB is longer than FD. Step-by-step explanation:This is an SAS triangle problem. According to the law of cosines, c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2abcosC In triangle ABC, a = BC, b = AC, and c = AB In triangle FDE, a = DE, b = FE, and c = FD. The only difference is that C is 72° in one triangle and 65° in the other. We know that cos0° = 1 and cos 90° = 0, so cos72° < cos65°. In triangle ABC, cosC is smaller, so you are subtracting a smaller number from a^2 + b^2. c^2 is larger, so c is larger. AB is longer than FD. That makes sense because, as you widen the angle between your outstretched arms, the distance between your hands increases.