Question

Triangle ABC is a right triangle. The shortest side

is 7 m long and the longest side is 10 m long.
What is the approximate length of the third side?
A. 3m B. 7m C. 12 m D. 17 m

Answer 1

B. 7 m

Explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem states that
`a^(2) +b^(2) =c^(2)`, where a and b are sides of a right angle, and c is the hypothenuse (the longest side).

Plugging our numbers in, we get
`7^(2) +b^(2) =10^(2)` ->
`49 + b^2 = 100` ->
`b^2 = 51`.

since
`7^(2) =49`, b would be the closest to 7.