Question

A right triangle is formed by squares made up of identical square blocks as shown.

Which statement BEST describes what the figure shows?
A Three plus four equals five.
B Three plus four equals five squared.
C Three squared plus four squared equals five.
D Three squared plus four squared equals five squared.

Answer 1

Answer: D Three squared plus four squared equals five squared.

Explanation:

It’s restating the Pythagorean theorem. a^2+b^2= c^2. Where “a” and “b” represent the legs of the triangle that form the right angle and “c” represents the side opposite the right angle.

Notice the picture is a right triangle. (The little box in the corner represents a right angle.) the legs that make up the right angle are represented as a 3 by 3 box (3 squared) and a 4 by 4 box (4 squared). The side opposite the right angle is represented as a 5 by 5 box (5 squared)