Question

Pythagorean theorem: find the missing leg length.

In a right triangle, a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse. If a = 3.2 inches and c = 5.4 inches, what is b? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

b ≈ 4.3

Explanation:

Pythagoras' theorem states that in a right triangle

a² + b² = c²

where a and b are the legs and c the hypotenuse.

given a = 3.2 and c = 5.4 and substituting these values into the equation

3.2² + b² = 5.4² , that is

10.24 + b² = 29.16 ( subtract 10.24 from both sides )

b² = 18.92 ( take square root of both sides )

`√(b^2)` =
`√(18.92)` , then

b ≈ 4.3 ( to the nearest tenth )