Triangle Congruence

Triangle Congruence: ASA, AAS, and HL

Key Objectives
Apply ASA, AAS, and HL to construct triangles and to solve problems.
Prove triangles congruent by using ASA, AAS, and HL.

Key Terms
An included side is the common side of two consecutive angles in a polygon.

Theorems, Postulates, Corollaries, and Properties

Angle-Side-Angle (ASA) Congruence Postulate If two angles and the included side of one triangle are congruent to two
angles and the included side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.
Angle-Angle-Side (AAS) Congruence Theorem If two angles and a nonincluded side of one triangle are congruent to
the corresponding angles and nonincluded side of another triangle, then the triangles are congruent.
Hypotenuse-Leg (HL) Congruence Theorem If the hypotenuse and a leg of a right triangle are congruent to the hypotenuse
and a leg of another right triangle, then the triangles are congruent.

Example 1 Problem Solving with ASA

The common side of two consecutive angles in a polygon is
the included side. The ASA Congruence Postulate allows for
two triangles to be proven congruent when two angles and
the included side in one triangle are congruent to two angles
and the included side in the other triangle.

Example 2 Applying ASA Congruence

The ASA Congruence Postulate can be used to prove two
triangles congruent when two angles and their included side
in one triangle are congruent to two angles and their included
side in the other triangle. In this example it is given that the
triangles have one pair of congruent sides. So, to prove that
these triangles are congruent by ASA, show that the angles
on each end of the congruent sides are congruent.

Example 3 Using AAS to Prove Triangles Congruent

The AAS Congruence Theorem uses two angles and a
nonincluded side to show two triangles congruent. For any
two angles in a triangle there are two nonincluded sides.
Either nonincluded side can be used with the AAS Postulate.
However, the nonincluded sides in each triangle must be
corresponding sides.

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Geometry

It is given that Q is congruent to S in this example. It is

also given that QRP and SRP are right angles. So, they
are congruent by the Right Angle Congruence Theorem. Since
two angles of one triangle are congruent to two angles of
another triangle, ASA or AAS might be used to prove these
two triangle congruent. Notice that the two triangles share a
common side. This side is the nonincluded side to the
congruent angles. Therefore, AAS can be used to prove these
two triangles congruent.

Example 4 Applying HL Congruence

The HL Congruence Theorem can be used to show that two
right triangles are congruent. Remember, the hypotenuse of
a right triangle is the side that is opposite of the right angle.
The two other sides are called the legs.

In this example it is given that the two triangles are right

triangles and that their hypotenuses are congruent. In order
to prove two right triangles congruent by the HL Theorem,
the hypotenuse and a leg of one right triangle must be
congruent to the hypotenuse and a leg of the other right
triangle. However, in this example the congruence of either
pair of legs cannot be deduced. Therefore, the HL Theorem
cannot be used to prove that these triangles are congruent.

In this example it is given that one pair of sides is congruent

and that ACB is a right angle. Since ACB is a right angle,
ACD is a right angle as well. Therefore, the pair of given
congruent sides are the hypotenuses. If one pair of legs can
be shown to be congruent, then the HL Theorem can be used
to prove that these triangles are congruent.
Since the triangles contain a common side, and that side is
not the hypotenuse of either triangle, then by the Reflexive
Property of Congruence, the triangles contain a pair of
congruent legs. So, the triangles are congruent by HL.

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