Question

an isosceles right triangle has legs of equal length. If the hypotenuse is 8 inches long, find the length of each leg. Use the quadratic formula to find your answer.

Answer 1

Explanation:

The hypotenuse, opposite side and adjacent side of a right angle triangle is related by Pythagoras theorem which states that

Hypotenuse^2 = opposite^2 + adjacent^2

Let the length of the other legs be x inches. They are equal because it is an isosceles

If the hypotenuse is 8 inches long, then

8^2 = x^2 + x^2

64 = 2x^2

x^2 = 64/2 = 32

x = ±√32

x = ± 5.66

x = 5.66 or x = -5.66

The leg if the triangle cannot be negative, so x = 5.66 inches