Question

For the rectangle shown below, which can be used to find the value of x?A. 3^2 + x^2 = 15^2B. (x + 3)^2 = 15^2C. 3^2 + 15^2 = x^2D. 3 + 15 = x^2

Answer 1

Since the rectangle is composed of 2 right triangles, we can apply the Pythagorean theorem to one of the triangles:

c^2 = a^2 +b^2

Where:

c= hypotenuse (longest side) = 15

a & b = the other two legs of the triangle ( x , 3 )

Replacing:

15^2 = 3^2 + x ^2

Solve for x

225 = 9 + x^2

225-9 = x^2

216 = x^2

√216 = x

x= 14.69

So, to find the value of x, we can use:

A. 3^2 + x^2 = 15^2