To determine which set of side lengths can form a triangle, we can use the triangle inequality theorem. According to this theorem, for any three sides \(a\), \(b\), and \(c\), the following must be true:
- \(a + b > c\)
- \(a + c > b\)
- \(b + c > a\)
We'll check each set of side lengths given:
-
8, 6, 2:
- \(8 + 6 > 2\) (14 > 2, true)
- \(8 + 2 > 6\) (10 > 6, true)
- \(6 + 2 > 8\) (8 > 8, false)
- Does not form a triangle.
-
3, 3, 6:
- \(3 + 3 > 6\) (6 > 6, false)
- Does not form a triangle.
-
5, 2, 4:
- \(5 + 2 > 4\) (7 > 4, true)
- \(5 + 4 > 2\) (9 > 2, true)
- \(2 + 4 > 5\) (6 > 5, true)
- Forms a triangle.
-
4, 1, 6:
- \(4 + 1 > 6\) (5 > 6, false)
- Does not form a triangle.
The only set of side lengths that will form a triangle is 5, 2, 4.