G.CO.8 SAS Exploration
In the exploration below:
1) You will explore the Side-Angle-Side (SAS) case. If two sides and the included ("in between") angle of one triangle are congruent to two sides and the included angle of another, must the two triangles be congruent?
2) Segments A'B' and B'C' are fixed to match the lengths of their corresponding objects, and angle A'B'C' is fixed to be congruent to angle ABC. You are able to manipulate the other sides and angles.
3) Experiment by moving the points around in order to test the theory that SAS is a criteria for triangle congruence.
Is it possible to make a different triangle using the same three parts, or are the two triangles always congruent? Explain your reasoning.
Based on your answer above, is SAS a valid "shortcut" for triangle congruence? Explain why or why not.