Question

Which equations could be used to find the length of a side in a right triangle with legs a and b and hypotenuse of c?

Answer 1

The pythagorean theorem states that, in every right triangle, the following formula holds:

`a^2+b^2=c^2`

where a and b are the legs, and c is the hypotenuse.

We can deduce the following expressions for a,b and c:

`a = √(c^2-b^2),\quad b=√(c^2-a^2),\quad c=√(a^2+b^2)`

Answer 2

The Pythagorean Theorem says for a right triangle with legs a,b and hypotenuse c,

`c^2 = a^2+b^2`

Solving for each in turn,

`c= √(a^2+b^2)`

`a^2=c^2 - b^2`

`a = √(c^2-b^2)`

`b = √(c^2-a^2)`

Looking at our choices, we select the third and fourth.