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A triangle has side lengths of 12 cm 15 cm and 20 cm. classify as acute obtuse or right

1 Answer

5 votes

Ok, so

First, remember that:

We can use the following method to calculate the type of triangle:

1. Make c the length of the longest side, and calculate c².

2. Make a and b the length of the two shorter sides, and calculate a² + b².

3. Compare c² and a² + b².

4. Use the following conditions below to work out the type of triangle:

- If c² = a² + b² , that's a right-angled triangle.

- If c² > a² + b², that's an obtuse-angled triangle.

- If c² < a² + b², that's an acute-angled triangle.

If we replace our values:

c = 20cm. c² = 400cm²

a = 12cm

b = 15cm.

a² + b² = 144cm² + 225cm²

a² + b² = 369

As you can see, c² > a² + b², so, this is an obtuse-angled triangle.

User Rgenito
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