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What is the length of the side of a right triangle that has a side length of 12 ft and hypotenuse that measures 15 ft

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

9 ft

Explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem states

a^2+b^2 = c^2 where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse

Substituting in what we know (one leg is 12 and the hypotenuse is 15)

12^2 +b^2 = 15^2

144+ b^2 = 225

Subtract 144 from each side

144-144 +b^2 = 225-144

b^2 =81

Take the square root of each side

sqrt(b^2) = sqrt(81)

b = 9

User Brett DiDonato
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