College

Select the correct answer.

A triangle has one side of length 29 units and another of length 40 units. Determine the range in which the length of the third side must lie.

A. [tex]$-11 < x < 69$[/tex]
B. [tex]$11 \leq x \leq 69$[/tex]
C. [tex]$11 < x < 69$[/tex]
D. [tex]$-11 \leq x \leq 69$[/tex]

Answer :

To determine the range in which the length of the third side of a triangle must lie, we can apply the triangle inequality theorem. This theorem states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third side. Specifically, for a triangle with sides [tex]\(a\)[/tex], [tex]\(b\)[/tex], and [tex]\(c\)[/tex]:

1. [tex]\(a + b > c\)[/tex]
2. [tex]\(a + c > b\)[/tex]
3. [tex]\(b + c > a\)[/tex]

In this problem, we have two sides given as 29 units and 40 units, and we need to determine the possible range for the third side, which we'll call [tex]\(x\)[/tex].

### Step 1: Apply the triangle inequality

1. [tex]\(29 + 40 > x\)[/tex]:
Simplifying gives [tex]\(69 > x\)[/tex], or [tex]\(x < 69\)[/tex].

2. [tex]\(29 + x > 40\)[/tex]:
Simplifying gives [tex]\(x > 11\)[/tex].

3. [tex]\(40 + x > 29\)[/tex]:
Simplifying gives [tex]\(x > -11\)[/tex], but since side lengths can't be negative, this condition is already covered by [tex]\(x > 11\)[/tex].

### Conclusion

Combining these inequalities, the range for the third side, [tex]\(x\)[/tex], is:

11 < x < 69

So the correct answer is option C: 11 < x < 69.