Triangle Side Verification: Is DC a Side of Triangle BDC?

Q: How do I know what the sides of a triangle are?

The sides of a triangle are the line segments that connect each pair of vertices. For triangle BDC, the three sides are $ BD $, $ DC $, and $ BC $.

Q: Does the order of letters in the triangle name matter?

No! Triangle BDC is the same as triangle BCD, DBC, DCB, CBD, or CDB. The vertices are the same points regardless of the order you list them.

Q: What if I can't see all the sides clearly in the diagram?

Look for the three vertices first (the labeled points). Every triangle must have exactly three sides connecting these points, even if some lines are drawn differently or overlap.

Q: Can a triangle have more than three sides?

No! By definition, a triangle has exactly three sides and three vertices. If a shape has more sides, it's a polygon with a different name (quadrilateral, pentagon, etc.).

Q: How do I name the sides correctly?

Use the two endpoint letters for each side. Side DC connects point D to point C. You can also write it as CD - both names refer to the same line segment!

Triangle Side Identification with Geometric Naming

True or false:

DC is a side of the triangle BDC.

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations

00:00 Determine whether DC is a side in the given triangle BDC

00:03 Identify the sides of triangle BDC

00:07 Mark the side with the two letters at the beginning/end of the line

00:11 These are the sides of triangle BDC

00:15 Therefore, we can determine that DC is part of triangle BDC

00:18 This is the solution

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

True or false:

DC is a side of the triangle BDC.

Step-by-step solution

Let's determine if DC is a side of triangle BDC:

First, we need to identify the triangle BDC:

Vertices of triangle BDC are: $B, D,$ and $C$ .
Sides of triangle BDC are the line segments that connect these points. Namely, these sides are $BD, DC,$ and $BC$ .

Since $DC$ is one of the line segments connecting the vertices of triangle BDC, it indeed constitutes one of its sides.

Therefore, we conclude that the statement is true: DC is a side of the triangle BDC.

Final Answer

True

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Triangle Definition: A triangle has exactly three sides connecting its three vertices
Side Naming: Side DC connects vertex D to vertex C in triangle BDC
Verification: List all three vertices (B, D, C) and confirm DC connects two of them ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Confusing triangle names with side names
Don't assume DC isn't a side just because it doesn't start with B = missed identification! Triangle BDC can have sides that don't begin with the first letter of the triangle name. Always check if the line segment connects any two vertices of the triangle.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Is DE side in one of the triangles?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

How do I know what the sides of a triangle are?

The sides of a triangle are the line segments that connect each pair of vertices. For triangle BDC, the three sides are $BD$ , $DC$ , and $BC$ .

Does the order of letters in the triangle name matter?

No! Triangle BDC is the same as triangle BCD, DBC, DCB, CBD, or CDB. The vertices are the same points regardless of the order you list them.

What if I can't see all the sides clearly in the diagram?

Look for the three vertices first (the labeled points). Every triangle must have exactly three sides connecting these points, even if some lines are drawn differently or overlap.

Can a triangle have more than three sides?

No! By definition, a triangle has exactly three sides and three vertices. If a shape has more sides, it's a polygon with a different name (quadrilateral, pentagon, etc.).

How do I name the sides correctly?

Use the two endpoint letters for each side. Side DC connects point D to point C. You can also write it as CD - both names refer to the same line segment!

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