Question

The information given represents lengths of sides of a right triangle with c the hypotenuse. Find the correct missing length to the nearest hundredth. A calculator may be helpful.

a = ?, b = 11, c = 17


A.12.75


B.13.12


C.13.20


D.12.96

Answer 1

a & b are the legs of the triangle.
c is the hypotenuse of the triangle.
You need to solve a.

Formula:-

a² + b² = c²

Lets substitute for each variable:

a² + 11² = 17²

Now lets solve:

a² + 11² = 17²
a² + 121 = 289
289 - 121 = x²
289 - 121 = 168
√168 ≈ 13

a² ≈ 13