Question

The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 14 inches. If the length of one leg is 6 inches, what is the approximate length of the other leg?

11.5 inches

12.6 inches

15.2 inches

20.0 inches

Answer 1

In this question, you need to use Pythagoras' Theorem, c^2 - b^2 = a^2. In this case, C is 14 and B is 6, so you would do 14^2 - 6^2 = 196 - 36 = 160, and the approximate square root of 160 is 12.6 inches, which is your answer.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

12.6 inches

Explanation:

We only need to apply Pythagoras theorem to solve this problem.

Pythagoras theorem state that in a right-angle triangle,

opposite² + adjacent² = hypotenuse²

From the question hypotenuse = 14 inches

one of the leg, lets say adjacent = 6 inches

Let x be the length of the other leg.

We can now proceed to insert our values into the formula;

opposite² + adjacent² = hypotenuse²

x² + 6² = 14²

x² + 36 = 196

Subtract 36 from both-side of the equation

x² + 36 - 36 = 196 - 36

x² = 160

Take the square root of both-side to get the value of x

√x² = √160

x = 12.649

x≈12.6

Therefore the approximate length of the other leg is 12.6 inches