Final answer:
The length of AC in triangle ABC is approximately 9.27 units when AC equals the square root of 86 units. This is obtained by calculating the square root of 86.
Step-by-step explanation:
If Tim drew triangle ABC on his paper and AC = the square root of 86 units, to find the length of AC we must take the square root of 86. We perform this calculation as follows:
AC = √86
Using a calculator, we find that the square root of 86 is approximately 9.27 units. Therefore, the length of AC is 9.27 units.
The information about the Pythagorean theorem and how to calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle using the legs of the triangle (like the example with 9 blocks and 5 blocks) is relevant in demonstrating how one might calculate the length of a side of a triangle when given the lengths of the other two sides. However, in this specific question about triangle ABC, we are not given the lengths of the other two sides, nor is it stated that triangle ABC is a right triangle. The key is simply to calculate the square root of 86 to find the length of AC.