Must it be a parallelogram?

Geometry Level 4

Consider a convex quadrilateral A B C D ABCD with A B = C D AB=CD and D A B = D C B . \angle DAB = \angle DCB.

Which of the following is always true?

A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram If D B C = 9 0 \angle DBC =90 ^{\circ} , then A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram If A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram, then D B C = 9 0 \angle DBC =90 ^{\circ}

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1 solution

David Vreken
Aug 29, 2018

If we draw a diagonal B D BD and show that B D = B D BD = BD by the reflexive property, then we have two triangles A B D \triangle ABD and C D B \triangle CDB that have two pairs of congruent sides and one pair of congruent angles.

Unfortunately, SSA is not a theorem to show two triangles congruent, so we cannot conclude that A D = C B AD = CB to show that A B C D ABCD must be a parallelogram. In fact, by the law of sines on both triangles, sin D B C = A B sin A B D = sin B D A \sin \angle DBC = \frac{AB \sin \angle A}{BD} = \sin \angle BDA , but since sin x = sin ( 180 ° x ) \sin x = \sin (180° - x) , either D B C = B D A \angle DBC = \angle BDA or D B C = 180 ° B D A \angle DBC = 180° - \angle BDA .

Now, if we add the condition that D B C = 90 ° \angle DBC = 90° , then by either of the above parameters B D A = 90 ° \angle BDA = 90° , so the two triangles are congruent by AAS congruency, which means A D = C D AD = CD , and so A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram. Therefore, the choice "if D B C = 90 ° \angle DBC = 90° , then A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram" is always true.

For completeness, we can find counter-examples to the other choices. The following quadrilateral has D A B = B C D = 60 ° \angle DAB = \angle BCD = 60° , A B D = 50 ° \angle ABD = 50° , A D B = 70 ° \angle ADB = 70° , D B C = 110 ° \angle DBC = 110° , and B D C = 10 ° \angle BDC = 10° ; and meets the given conditions that A B = C D AB = CD and D A B = D C B \angle DAB = \angle DCB , but D B C B D A \angle DBC \neq \angle BDA , so opposite angles A B C A D C \angle ABC \neq \angle ADC which makes it not a parallelogram. Therefore, A B C D ABCD is not necessarily a parallelogram, so the choice " A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram" is not always true.

Finally, the following parallelogram is made up of two equilateral triangles, and also meets the given conditions that A B = C D AB = CD and D A B = D C B \angle DAB = \angle DCB , but D B C = 60 ° 90 ° \angle DBC = 60° \neq 90° . Therefore, "if A B C D ABCD is a parallelogram, then D B C = 90 ° \angle DBC = 90° " is not always true.

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