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4. Astronomers have discovered a new constellation made up of Star A, Star B, and Star C that forms

a right triangle. The angle at Star A is 90 degrees. Star A and Star B are 50 lightyears apart, while
Star A and Star C are 120 lightyears apart. How many lightyears apart are Star B and Star C?

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Answer: The distance between Star B and Star C can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two shorter sides is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the longest side). In this case, the lengths of the two shorter sides are the distances from Star A to Star B (50 lightyears) and from Star A to Star C (120 lightyears).

So, we have:

(Star B to Star C)^2 = (Star A to Star B)^2 + (Star A to Star C)^2

(Star B to Star C)^2 = 50^2 + 120^2

(Star B to Star C)^2 = 2500 + 14400

(Star B to Star C)^2 = 16900

Taking the square root of both sides:

Star B to Star C = √16900

Star B to Star C = 129 lightyears

So, Star B and Star C are 129 lightyears apart.

Explanation:

User Aaron Schumacher
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