The sum of the interior angles of a triangle is 180º. If we add the three angles of any triangle we choose, the result will always be 180º. This means that if we know the values of two angles of a triangle we can always calculate, with ease, the value of the third one: first we add the two angles we know and then we subtract from 180º The result of this subtraction will give us the value of the third angle of the triangle.
For example, given a triangle with two known interior angles of 45º and 60º degrees, we are asked to discover the measure of the third angle. First we add 45º plus 60º resulting in 105º degrees. Now we subtract 105º from 180º, yielding 75º degrees. In other words, the third angle of the triangle equals 75º degrees.
The above property is also called the triangle sum theorem, and can help us to solve problems involving the interior angles of a triangle, regardless of whether it is equilateral, isosceles or scalene.
Examples of different types of triangles and the sum of the interior angles in each
The theorem tells us that the sum of the interior angles of any triangle is equal to 180°.
How do we find the third interior angle of a triangle, knowing the other two?
By applying the theorem, we subtract the sum of the two given angles from 180°.
How much must the interior angles of a triangle add up to?
180°.
Exercises for addition of the interior angles of a triangle:
Exercise 1
Task:
Given three angles:
Angle A is equal to 30°
Angle B is equal to 60°
Angle C is equal to 90°
Can these angles form a triangle?
Solution
It is known that the sum of the angles of the triangles must be equal to 180°
Let's add the value of the angles and see if together they are equal to 180°
A+B+C=30+60+90=180
Answer
Yes
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Test your knowledge
Question 1
Is DE side in one of the triangles?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
Not true
Question 2
What is the size of the unlabelled angle?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
It cannot be calculated.
Question 3
What is the size of the missing angle?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
100°
Exercise 2
Task:
Given three angles:
Angle A is equal to 60°
Angle B is equal to 60°
Angle C is equal to 60°
Can these angles form a triangle?
Solution
It is known that the sum of the angles of the triangles must be equal to 180°
Let's add the value of the angles and see if together they are equal to 180°
A+B+C=60+60+60=180
Answer
Yes
Exercise 3
Task:
Given three angles:
Angle A is equal to 90°
Angle B is equal to 115°
Angle C is equal to 35°
Can these angles form a triangle?
Solution
We know that the sum of the angles of the triangle must be equal to 180°
We add the total of the angles to see if together they are equal to 180°
A+B+C=90+115+35=240
We observe that the sum of the three angles are equal to 240°, that is to say that they cannot form a triangle.
Answer
No
Do you know what the answer is?
Question 1
What is the size of the missing angle?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
It cannot be calculated.
Question 2
The triangle ABC is shown below.
To which side(s) are the median and the altitude drawn?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
BC
Question 3
The triangle ABC is shown below.
Which line segment is the median?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
BE
Exercise 4
Assignment:
Given the parallel lines.
Find the angle α
Solution
The angle beta is equal to 90°. The adjacent angle is also equal to 90° since the sum is equal to 180° degrees. The adjacent angle gamma 120° and their sum is equal to 180°, therefore, gamma is equal to 60° degrees.
α+γ+δ=180°
α+60°+90°=180°
α+150°=180°
α=180°−150°
α=30°
Answer
30°
Exercise 5
CE is parallel to AD
What is the value of X if it is given that ABC is isosceles, such that AB=BC
Solution
Angles ∢UCH and angle ∢ACE are opposite angles.
ACE=ICH=2X
∢DAC and angle ∢ACE are collateral angles.
2x+DAC=180
DAC=180−2x
∢FGA and angle ∢DAB are opposite angles.
FGA=DAB=x−10
BAC=DAC−DAB=
180−2x−(x−10)=
190−3x
The sum of the angles in the triangle is 180
ACB+CAB+B=180
ACB=180−(190−3x)−(3x−30)=20
ACB=BAC
20=190−3x
x=56.67
Answer
56.67
Check your understanding
Question 1
Look at triangle ABC below.
What is the median of the triangle and to which side is it drawn?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
BE for AC
Question 2
Look at triangle ABC below.
Which is the median?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
EC
Question 3
Look at the triangle ABC below.
\( AD=\frac{1}{2}AB \)
\( BE=\frac{1}{2}EC \)
What is the median in the triangle?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
DC
Examples with solutions for The Sum of the Interior Angles of a Triangle
Exercise #1
True or false:
DE not a side in any of the triangles.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
To solve the problem of determining whether DE is not a side in any of the triangles, we will methodically identify the triangles present in the diagram and examine their sides:
Identify triangles in the diagram. The diagram presented forms a right-angled triangle ABC with additional lines forming smaller triangles within.
Notice that while point D is used, the segment DE is only part of line BE and isn't listed as a direct side of any triangle.
Therefore, the claim that DE is not a side in any of the triangles is indeed correct.
Hence, the answer is True.
Answer
True
Exercise #2
Is DE side in one of the triangles?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
Since line segment DE does not correspond to a full side of any of the triangles present within the given geometry, we conclude that the statement “DE is a side in one of the triangles” is Not true.
Answer
Not true
Exercise #3
What is the size of the missing angle?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
To find the size of the missing angle, we will use the property that the sum of angles on a straight line is 180∘. Given that one angle is 80∘, we can calculate the missing angle using the following steps:
Step 1: Recognize that the given angle α=80∘ and the missing angle β form a straight line.
Step 2: Use the angle sum property for a straight line:
α+β=180∘
Step 3: Substitute the known value:
80∘+β=180∘
Step 4: Solve for the missing angle β:
β=180∘−80∘=100∘
Therefore, the size of the missing angle is 100∘.
Answer
100°
Exercise #4
The triangle ABC is shown below.
To which side(s) are the median and the altitude drawn?
Step-by-Step Solution
To solve the problem of identifying to which side of triangle ABC the median and the altitude are drawn, let's analyze the diagram given for triangle ABC.
We acknowledge that a median is a line segment drawn from a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. An altitude is a line segment drawn from a vertex perpendicular to the opposite side.
Upon reviewing the diagram of triangle ABC, line segment AD is a reference term. It appears to meet point C in the middle, suggesting it's a median, but it also forms right angles suggesting it is an altitude.
Given the placement and orientation of AD, it is perpendicular to line BC (the opposite base for the median from A). Therefore, this line is both the median and the altitude to side BC.
Thus, the side to which both the median and the altitude are drawn is BC.
Therefore, the correct answer to the problem is the side BC, corresponding with choice Option 2: BC.
Answer
BC
Exercise #5
The triangle ABC is shown below.
Which line segment is the median?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
To solve this problem, we need to identify the median in triangle ABC:
Step 1: Recall the definition of a median. A median is a line segment drawn from a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Step 2: Begin by evaluating each line segment based on the definition.
Step 3: Identify points on triangle ABC:
AD is from A to a point on BC.
BE is from B to a point on AC.
FC is from F to a point on AB.
Step 4: Determine if these points (D, E, F) are midpoints:
Since BE connects B to E, and E is indicated to be the midpoint of segment AC (as shown), BE is the median.
AD and FC, by visual inspection, do not connect to midpoints on BC or AB respectively.
Therefore, the line segment that represents the median is BE.