Question

1. in the figure, points a and b lie on the segment cd such that the length of ca is equal to the length of bd. what is the missing reason for the statement in step 4 of the proof?

step reason

1. de ≅ fg

fg ≅ hj

1. de ≅ hj transitive property of congruence
2. de = hj definition of congruent segments
3. hj = de

q.e.d.

Explanation:

If \(a = b\), the Symmetric Property of Equality states \(b=a\). Here, since \(DE = HJ\) from step 3, by this property \(HJ=DE\) in step 4.

Answer:

Symmetric Property of Equality