Final answer:
The Flatiron Building's overall shape suggests it might resemble a right triangle, but historical accounts imply it does not consist entirely of perfect right angles. Therefore, its footprint is likely not a precise right triangle. Mathematical and architectural analysis could provide further verification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The footprint of the Flatiron Building is often described as a right triangle due to its unique shape that appears to form a triangle when viewed from above. However, statements from historical accounts indicate that the building does not consist entirely of perfect right angles. For instance, Steven's remark '..., there's hardly a right angle in this building' suggests that while the Flatiron Building's overall form may resemble a right triangle, it might not conform to the precise geometric definition of a right triangle, which requires three angles, one of which is exactly 90 degrees.
To determine whether the Flatiron Building's footprint is a right triangle, we could reference its architectural blueprints or employ mathematical calculations using the building's measurements. Yet, considering the historical context provided by Steven's statement, we can lean toward the footprint not being a perfect right triangle.
In terms of the Pythagorean theorem, which expresses the relationship between the sides of a right triangle, as in the equation 'A = √(Ax)² + (Ay)²', we can see that the theorem is useful for calculating distances in city blocks, such as the example given where hypotenuse length is determined to be approximately 10.3 blocks for a right triangle with legs of 9 blocks and 5 blocks.