Question

can the sides of a triangle have lengths 1.4, 3.3, and 5.5?

Explanation:

Step1: Check triangle inequality

The triangle inequality states that for any triangle with side lengths \(a\), \(b\), and \(c\), \(a + b>c\), \(a + c>b\), and \(b + c>a\). Let \(a = 1.4\), \(b = 3.3\), \(c = 5.5\).
First, check \(a + b>c\): \(1.4+3.3 = 4.7\) and \(4.7<5.5\).

Answer:

No, the sides of a triangle cannot have lengths \(1.4\), \(3.3\), and \(5.5\) because \(1.4 + 3.3=4.7<5.5\) which violates the triangle inequality theorem.