Question

In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 5.7 meters and c = 9.6 meters, what is b? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

`b` ≈
`7.7`

Explanation:

We need to use the Pythagorean Theorem:
`a^2+b^2=c^2`

In this case we have a and c. So let's plug those into the equation:

`(5.7)^2+b^2=(9.6)^2`

Solve:

`32.49+b^2=92.16`

Round to the nearest tenth:

`32.5+b^2=92.2`

Subtract 32.5

`b^2=59.7`

Find 'b'


`b=√(59.7)`

`b` ≈
`7.7`

I hope this helped you!

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