Question

In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a=5 yards and c=6 yards, what is the perimeter? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Please verify your answer

Answer 1

14.3 yards

Explanation:

You want the perimeter of the right triangle with hypotenuse 6 yards and one leg 5 yards.

Missing leg

The other leg of the right triangle can be found using the Pythagorean theorem:

a² +b² = c²

b² = c² -a²

b = √(c² -a²) = √(6² -5²) = √11 ≈ 3.3

The perimeter is ...

P = a + b + c

P = 5 + 3.3 + 6 = 14.3 . . . . yards

The perimeter of the triangle is about 14.3 yards.