Question

HELP PLEASE!The length of the base of an isosceles triangle is 15. What is the range of possible lengths L for each leg?
15 > L > 7.5
L > 7.5
L > 15
7.5 > L

Answer 1

Think of the triangle getting shorter and shorter...as it collapses down to a flat line, just before it gets there, what will be the approximate length of the two legs?

Answer 2

Also, is there any upper bound on how long the legs could be?

Answer 3

Um i dont know thats all that was given

Answer 4

Think about it...If you made a triangle that had a base 15 feet long, and was only 1 inch tall, how long would the legs be, approximately?

Answer 5

Imagine a triangle that is completely flattened. Wouldn't the two legs added together be the length of the base?

Answer 6

so it would be less than 7.5?

Answer 7

Sigh. If the base is 15, and the two legs are to connect to each other, don't they have to be > 7.5? If they = 7.5, then it's just a straight line, not a triangle.

Answer 8

okay thanks!

Answer 9

so its the second choice right?

Answer 10

Think about two French doors swinging together...you can't quite make a triangle because they don't touch except when all the way shut...

Answer 11

The French door analogy, brilliant.

Answer 12

i see...kinda

Answer 13

its the first choice!@whpalmer4

Answer 14

no. the triangle can be as tall as we want, can't it? The first choice implies that the legs can't be 15 or longer....

Answer 15

ohhh. so it is the second choice

Answer 16

Yes, L > 7.5 is correct, according to my 10 year old :-)

Answer 17

sorry, I now see that you had that answer earlier...must have popped up while I was responding.

Answer 18

if you say "it's the second choice", we've got to scroll back up to the top, look at the problem statement and answer choices to check. if you say "L > 7.5" we can skip all that...