Directions:You need 15 toothpicks.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

With 12 toothpicks,

1.Is it possible to make an equilateral triangle using all 12 toothpicks?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

With 12 toothpicks,

1.Is it possible to make an equilateral triangle using all 12 toothpicks?

YES©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

2. What are the lengths of each side?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

2. What are the lengths of each side?

4, 4, 4©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

3. Is it possible to make an isosceles triangle that is NOT equilateral?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

3. Is it possible to make an isosceles triangle that is NOT equilateral?

YES©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

4. What are the lengths of each side?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

4. What are the lengths of each side?

2, 5, 5©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

4. Make a scalene triangle using all 12 toothpicks. What are the lengths of each side?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

4. Make a scalene triangle using all 12 toothpicks. What are the lengths of each side?

3, 4, 5©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

5. Is it possible to form a triangle with each of the following number of toothpicks as sides? If not possible, explain why?

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

a) 2, 4, 6b) 3, 6, 3c) 1, 5, 6d) 2, 3, 7

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

a) 2, 4, 6b) 3, 6, 3c) 1, 5, 6d) 2, 3, 7

NONONONO

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

6. Do you think it would ever be possible to make a triangle when the length of two shorter sides together total less than the longest side alone? If yes, give an example. If no, explain why.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

6. No. The sum of shorter sides will never be as long as the longest side.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

7. Do you think it would ever be possible to make a triangle when the length of two shorter sides together equal the longest side alone? If yes, give an example. If no, explain why.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

7. No. The shorter sides will not fit the longer side.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

With 15 toothpicks,

8. Make 4 different triangles using all of the toothpicks. Classify each triangle.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

a) 5, 5, 5b) 7, 5, 3c) 4, 5, 6d) 3, 6, 6

equilateralscalenescalene

isosceles

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

9. List 4 sets of lengths that total 15 but will not form a triangle.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

a) 1, 2, 12b) 2, 3, 10c) 3, 4, 8d) 3, 3, 9

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources

Conclusion

The sum of the measures of any 2 sides of a triangle must be __________ the measure of the 3rd side.

©2009, Dr. Jennifer L. Bell, LaGrange High School, LaGrange, Georgia Adapted from various sources