Question

After joining two pieces of a picture frame together a frame maker checks her work by measuring the diagonal. The sides of the frame form a right angle and the measurements are as follows: a=12in. and b=5in.

Answer 1

if you are looking for the area 12×5= 60in

Answer 2

if the sides form a right angle, then the diagonal must be according to the Pythagorean Theorem:

`d = √(a^2+b^2) = √(144+25)=13`

If that is indeed the measurement, the frame maker knows she made the frame right-angled.