The consecutive sides of a quadrilateral measure (x-17), (24-x), (3x-40) and (x+1). The perimeter is 42 cm . is the quadrilateral a parallelogram ?

Hi please will you help me thakn youu

let's see:

x-17 + 24-x + 3x-40 + x+1 = 42
4x=74
x = 74/4 = 18.5

so the sides are:
1.5, 5.5 , 15.5 , and 19.5

make a rough sketch
What do you think?

Of course! I'll be happy to help you.

To determine if the given quadrilateral is a parallelogram, we need to check if the opposite sides are parallel. In a parallelogram, opposite sides have the same length.

Let's find the length of each side of the quadrilateral using the given expressions:

Side 1: x-17
Side 2: 24-x
Side 3: 3x-40
Side 4: x+1

Next, we can write the equation for the perimeter of the quadrilateral:

Perimeter = Side 1 + Side 2 + Side 3 + Side 4

Given that the perimeter is 42 cm, we can write the equation:

42 = (x-17) + (24-x) + (3x-40) + (x+1)

Now, let's simplify the equation:

42 = x - 17 + 24 - x + 3x - 40 + x + 1

Combining like terms:

42 = 4x - 32

Now, let's solve for x:

42 + 32 = 4x

74 = 4x

Dividing both sides by 4:

x = 74/4

x = 18.5

Now that we have the value of x, we can substitute it back into the expressions for the sides to find their lengths:

Side 1 = 18.5 - 17 = 1.5 cm
Side 2 = 24 - 18.5 = 5.5 cm
Side 3 = 3(18.5) - 40 = 16.5 cm
Side 4 = 18.5 + 1 = 19.5 cm

Now, we can compare the opposite sides:

Opposite sides 1 and 3: 1.5 cm and 16.5 cm (not equal)
Opposite sides 2 and 4: 5.5 cm and 19.5 cm (not equal)

Since the opposite sides are not equal, we can conclude that the given quadrilateral is not a parallelogram.

I hope this explanation helps!