Question

Find the exact length of the third side. 8 2

Answer 1

This is a right triangle, so I'll use the Pytagorean theorem to solve it.

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

c = 8

a = 2

b = ?

Solve for b

b^2 = c^2 - a^2

Substitution

b^2 = 8^2 - 2^2

Simplification

b^2 = 64 - 4

b^2 = 60

b = 7.74 or

`\text{ b = }\sqrt[]{60}`