Question

TRIATHLON The course for a local

triathlon has the shape of a right
triangle. The legs of the triangle consist
of a 4-mile swim and a 10-mile run.
The hypotenuse of the triangle is the
biking portion of the event. How far is
the biking part of the triathlon? Round
to the nearest tenth if necessary.

Answer 1

Explanation:

The course for a local

triathlon has the shape of a right

triangle. This means that one of the angles formed is 90 degrees.

The legs of the triangle consist

of a 4-mile swim and a 10-mile run. These form the opposite side and that adjacent side of the right angle triangle. The hypotenuse of the triangle is the biking portion of the event. We would determine the length of the hypotenuse by applying Pythagoras theorem. It states that

Hypotenuse ^2 = opposite^2 + adjacent ^2

Hypotenuse ^2 = 4^2 + 10^2 = 16 + 100 = 116

Hypotenuse = √116 = 10.77 miles

Approximately 10.8 miles to the nearest tenth.