Answer: To find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. The theorem is written as c² = a² + b², where c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b are the lengths of the other two sides.
In this problem, we are given that the lengths of the legs of the right triangle are 7 inches and 2 inches. We can substitute these values into the Pythagorean theorem and solve for c, the length of the hypotenuse.
So, we have c² = 7² + 2².
So, c² = 49 + 4
So, c² = 53
Now, we can take the square root of both sides of the equation, since c² = 53, we can say c = √53
To round to the nearest tenth, we look at the digit in the thousandths place (the 3rd digit after the decimal point). Since 3 is greater than or equal to 5, we round up, so c = 7.28, so the hypotenuse is 7.28 inches.
Explanation: