Proposition: 1.26: "Angle-Side-Angle" and "Angle-Angle-Side" Theorems for the Congruence of Triangles

(Proposition 26 from Book 1 of Euclid's “Elements”)

If two triangles have two angles equal to two angles, respectively, and one side equal to one side - in fact, either that by the equal angles, or that subtending one of the equal angles - then (the triangles) will also have the remaining sides equal to the [corresponding] remaining sides, and the remaining angle (equal) to the remaining angle.

fig26e

Modern Formulation

If two triangles (\(\triangle{ABC}\), \(\triangle{DEF}\)) have two angles of one (\(\alpha:=\angle{BAC}\), \(\beta:=\angle{ACB}\)) respectively equal to two angles of the other (\(\gamma:=\angle{EDF}\), \(\delta:=\angle{DFE}\)), and a side of one equal to a similarly placed side of the other (placed with regard to the angles), then both triangles are congruent \[\triangle{ABC}\cong\triangle{DEF}.\]

This proposition breaks down into two cases according to whether the equal sides are adjacent or opposite to the equal angles:

Case 1: "ANGLE-SIDE-ANGLE" theorem for the congruence of triangles

If the side in question is the side between the two angles, then the triangles are congruent.

Fig5p5p32-1

Case 2: "ANGLE-ANGLE-SIDE" theorem for the congruence of triangles

If the side in question is not the side between the two angles, then the triangles are congruent.

Fig5p5p32-2

respectively

Fig5p5p32-3

Proofs: 1

Proofs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sections: 11


Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0!

Github:
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non-Github:
@Calahan
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@Fitzpatrick


References

Adapted from CC BY-SA 3.0 Sources:

  1. Callahan, Daniel: "Euclid’s 'Elements' Redux" 2014

Adapted from (Public Domain)

  1. Casey, John: "The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid"

Adapted from (subject to copyright, with kind permission)

  1. Fitzpatrick, Richard: Euclid's "Elements of Geometry"