Is there a Triangle that. . .?

Question

Is there a Triangle that has one side of length 4 inches, one side of length 2 inches, and one side of length 1 inch? Explain.

Answer 1

If you drew a 4" side, then started at the original point and drew a 2" side, then continued at that endpoint and drew a 1" side it would not reach to the end of the 4" side and thus would not form a triangle.

 

The rule is:  The sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third side.