document.write( "Question 1172050: A triangle has two sides of length 3 and 2. What is the smallest possible whole-number length for the third side?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #796951 by Edwin McCravy(20055)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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document.write( "The given sides are 3 and 2 and the third side is x.\r\n" );
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document.write( "The triangular equality says essentially, if you were walking along the sides\r\n" );
document.write( "of a triangle ABC, \r\n" );
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document.write( "1. If you walk from A to B and then to C, you will have walked farther than if\r\n" );
document.write( "you had just walked straight from A to C.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So AB + BC > AC\r\n" );
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document.write( "2. If you walk from A to C and then to B, you will have walked farther than if\r\n" );
document.write( "you had just walked straight from A to B.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So AC + CB > AB\r\n" );
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document.write( "3. If you walk from B to C and then to A, you will have walked farther than if\r\n" );
document.write( "you had just walked straight from B to A.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So BC + CA > BA\r\n" );
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document.write( "The sides are 3, 2 and x.  So by the very obvious triangular inequality:\r\n" );
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document.write( "1.  3 + 2 > x\r\n" );
document.write( "2.  3 + x > 2\r\n" );
document.write( "3.  x + 2 > 3\r\n" );
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document.write( "Simplifying:\r\n" );
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document.write( "1. 5 > x\r\n" );
document.write( "2. x > -1\r\n" );
document.write( "3. x > 1\r\n" );
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document.write( "Ignore the second one because the lengths of every side of every triangle is\r\n" );
document.write( "greater than a negative number.  So we only need consider the other two:\r\n" );
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document.write( "5 > x and x > 1\r\n" );
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document.write( "You can write that together as  5 > x > 1, or if you prefer, 1 < x < 5.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Since they are whole numbers, the set of integers that satisfy 1 < x < 5,\r\n" );
document.write( "are {2, 3, 4}.  The smallest whole number length for the third side in 2.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin
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