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3 votes
3 votes
David says that a triangle with side measures 9 cm, 12 cm, and 17 cm is a right triangle. Susie says it is not. Who is correct? Explain

your reasoning.
12 cm
17 cm
9 cm

User Boidkan
by
2.5k points

1 Answer

13 votes
13 votes

Answer: Susie is correct.

Explanation:

Susie is correct, because the Pythagorean theorem does not work on this triangle. Since the Pythagorean theorem only works on right triangles, we can conclude that Susie is correct, and that this triangle is NOT a right triangle.

a²+b² = c²

a = 9

b = 12

c = 17

9² + 12² = 17²

==> 81 + 144 = 289

==> 225 = 289, This is not true

Therefore this triangle is not a right triangle.

User Jens Lundstrom
by
2.7k points