Final answer:
The Pythagorean Theorem is expressed as a² + b² = c² and is used to relate the sides of a right triangle, especially in practical applications like engineering and navigation to find straight-line distances.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pythagorean Theorem, one of the most well-known mathematical formulas, is formulated as a² + b² = c², and it defines the relationship between the lengths of the sides of a right triangle.
Here, 'a' and 'b' are the lengths of the legs of the triangle, and 'c' is the length of the hypotenuse.
To find the unknown length of the hypotenuse, we can rearrange the formula to c = √(a² + b²).
This theorem is widely used in various fields such as engineering, architecture, and navigation.
For example, if the lengths of 'a' and 'b' were known to be 9 and 5 blocks in a city grid, the distance 'c' can be found by calculating √(9² + 5²), demonstrating how the theorem can be applied to determine the straight-line distance between two points.