Question 41·Medium·Lines, Angles, and Triangles
In , the measure of is twice the measure of , and the measure of is more than the measure of . What is the measure of ?
For triangle angle-relationship problems, introduce a variable for one angle, express the other angles in terms of that variable using the descriptions given (like “twice” or “30° more”), and then use the fact that the three interior angles must sum to to write an equation. Solve the resulting linear equation carefully, and finally compute whichever angle the question asks for; this is faster and more reliable than guessing angle measures from the choices.
Hints
Recall a key fact about triangles
What is always true about the sum of the three interior angles in any triangle?
Represent the unknown angle with a variable
Let the measure of be . How can you write expressions for and in terms of using the information given?
Set up and solve an equation
Add your expressions for , , and and set the sum equal to . Solve for , then use that value to find .
Desmos Guide
Write the angle-sum expression in Desmos
In one expression line, type y1 = 2x + x + (x + 30) to represent the sum of the three angles in terms of (the measure of ).
Graph the constant total of 180°
In the next line, type y2 = 180 to represent the total number of degrees in a triangle.
Use the intersection to find angle E and then angle D
Look at the graph and tap the intersection point of the two lines and ; the -coordinate of this point is the value of , the measure of . Then, in a new expression line, type 2 * (that x-value) to find the measure of and read the result from Desmos.
Step-by-step Explanation
Translate the angle relationships into algebra
Let the measure of be .
Then, using the given relationships:
- is twice , so .
- is more than , so .
Use the triangle angle sum
In any triangle, the three angles add up to .
So for :
Combine like terms:
Solve for the measure of angle E
Solve the equation .
Subtract from both sides:
Divide both sides by :
So .
Find the measure of angle D
Angle is twice angle .
So
Therefore, the measure of is , which corresponds to choice C.