Question

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 13 inches long. The shorter leg is 7 inches shorter than the longer leg. Find the side lengths of the triangle.

Answer 1

5 and 12 inches

Explanation:

Let the shorter leg be x.

13²=x²+(x+7)²

169=x²+x²+14x+49

169=2x²+14x+49

120=2x²+14x

120=2x(x+7)

60=x(x+7)

60=x²+7x

x=5

shorter length=5, longer length=12