Question

d) V1757. Mike is building a bridge for a contest and wants to make a right triangle out ofthree popsicle sticks that measure 6 cm, 9 cm, and 15 cm. Can he make a righttriangle out of these lengths?

Answer 1

To know if he can make a right triangle with those lengths, we have to use Pythagorean's Theorem.

`h^2=l^2_1+l^2_2`

This theorem associates the square of the hypothenuse (longer side) with the length of both legs. Let's replace the given values to see if they satisfy the theorem.

`\begin{gathered} 15^2=6^2+9^2 \\ 225=36+81 \\ 225=117 \end{gathered}`

As you can see, the given lengths do not satisfy the theorem.

Hence, he cannot make a right triangle.