Malik is comparing 2 right triangles. Both triangles have a hypotenuse of 13 units. The first triangle has a leg of 12 units and the other triangle has a leg of 5 units. How could Malik prove that the two triangles are congruent?(1 point)

Responses

He could apply the Pythagorean Theorem to show that the two missing sides make both triangles congruent.
He could apply the Pythagorean Theorem to show that the two missing sides make both triangles congruent.

He can conclude that they are congruent because they are both right triangles.
He can conclude that they are congruent because they are both right triangles.

He would need additional information to prove that the two triangles are congruent.
He would need additional information to prove that the two triangles are congruent.

He could apply the concept of HL and show that the two triangles are congruent.
He could apply the concept of HL and show that the two triangles are congruent.
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1 answer

To determine whether Malik can prove that the two triangles are congruent, the most appropriate response is:

He could apply the concept of HL and show that the two triangles are congruent.

The Hypotenuse-Leg (HL) theorem states that if two right triangles have equal hypotenuses and one pair of corresponding legs is equal, then the triangles are congruent. In this case, both triangles have a hypotenuse of 13 units. For the first triangle with a leg of 12 units, you can find the other leg using the Pythagorean theorem, while the second triangle has a leg of 5 units. The other sides may need to be calculated, but the HL theorem can apply if we show that they have a pair of corresponding legs or that the sides satisfy the conditions of the theorem. Therefore, using HL is the best approach to prove congruence.