Question

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) he could apply hl congruence theorem because the hypotenuses are congruent and each have a right angle. he could use the given side lengths and apply the concept of hl. he can conclude that they are congruent because they are both right triangles. he could apply the pythagorean theorem to find the missing side lengths and then compare corresponding sides to apply hl.

Explanation:

The HL (Hypotenuse - Leg) Congruence Theorem states that if the hypotenuse and a leg of one right - triangle are congruent to the hypotenuse and a leg of another right - triangle, then the two right - triangles are congruent. Here, both triangles are right - triangles with the same hypotenuse length and given leg lengths. To fully apply HL, we first need to find the missing side lengths using the Pythagorean Theorem ($a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}$, where $c$ is the hypotenuse and $a,b$ are the legs) to confirm all corresponding sides match the HL criteria.

Answer:

He could apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing side lengths and then compare corresponding sides to apply HL.