Which of the following sets of numbers can be the lengths of the sides of a triangle?
The set 5, 7, 9 can form a triangle. Three lengths make a triangle only if the sum of the two shorter ones exceeds the longest: 5 + 7 = 12 > 9. For 5, 7, 12 the sum equals…
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Which of the following sets of numbers can be the lengths of the sides of a triangle?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer B
The set 5, 7, 9 can form a triangle. Three lengths make a triangle only if the sum of the two shorter ones exceeds the longest: 5 + 7 = 12 > 9. For 5, 7, 12 the sum equals the longest side (12 = 12), which gives a flat line rather than a triangle, while 7 + 9 = 16 < 17 and 2 + 4 = 6 < 10 fail outright.
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Common Management Admission Test (CMAT)