Answer: We are given a right triangle where the two legs have lengths 2 and 4, and we need to find the length of the hypotenuse (which is denoted by x in the question). We can use the Pythagorean Theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs. That is,
hypotenuse^2 = leg1^2 + leg2^2
Plugging in the values we know, we get:
x^2 = 2^2 + 4^2
Simplifying the right-hand side, we get:
x^2 = 4 + 16
x^2 = 20
Taking the square root of both sides (and noting that x must be positive since it is a length), we get:
x = sqrt(20) = 2sqrt(5)
Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse is 2sqrt(5).
Explanation: