HL congruence is a criterion that applies to which triangles?

HL congruence is a criterion that applies to which triangles?

• A. The two legs
• B. Hypotenuse and a leg
• C. The two hypotenuses
• D. The acute angles

Answer: (B)

HL congruence applies to right triangles. It says that if the hypotenuse of one right triangle is congruent to the hypotenuse of another right triangle and a leg is congruent to the corresponding leg, then the two triangles are congruent. The right angle in each triangle fixes the orientation, so matching the hypotenuse and one leg provides enough information to determine the entire triangle, making all other parts align as well. This is why the correct description is using the hypotenuse and a leg. The other options don’t guarantee congruence on their own: just matching two legs or two hypotenuses, or only the acute angles, isn’t enough to fix all side lengths and angles.

HL congruence applies to right triangles. It says that if the hypotenuse of one right triangle is congruent to the hypotenuse of another right triangle and a leg is congruent to the corresponding leg, then the two triangles are congruent. The right angle in each triangle fixes the orientation, so matching the hypotenuse and one leg provides enough information to determine the entire triangle, making all other parts align as well. This is why the correct description is using the hypotenuse and a leg. The other options don’t guarantee congruence on their own: just matching two legs or two hypotenuses, or only the acute angles, isn’t enough to fix all side lengths and angles.