Is the Bermuda Triangle really a triangle? The Bermuda Triangle features vertices in
Miami, Florida; Bermuda; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Find the distances between
these points and remember to keep all measures in the same units. Using what you
have learned about triangles, determine if the Bermuda Triangle is really a triangle.
Units used:
Fill out the table with the distance between each point on the Bermuda Triangle.
| Points | Distance (miles) |
|--------------------|------------------|
| Miami, Florida | 965 |
| Bermuda | 1074 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1065 |
To determine if the Bermuda Triangle is really a triangle, we can use the triangle inequality theorem, which states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third side.
Let's check if the distances satisfy this inequality:
1. Miami to Bermuda + Bermuda to San Juan > Miami to San Juan
965 + 1074 > 1065
2039 > 1065
2. Bermuda to San Juan + Miami to San Juan > Miami to Bermuda
1074 + 1065 > 965
2139 > 965
3. Miami to Bermuda + Miami to San Juan > Bermuda to San Juan
965 + 1065 > 1074
2030 > 1074
Since all three inequalities hold true, we can conclude that the Bermuda Triangle is indeed a triangle.