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A rectangle has a width of 15 inches and a diagonal of 17 inches. Find the length of the rectangle in inches.

User SuMi
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1 Answer

6 votes
Answer:

The length of the rectangle = 8 inches

Step-by-step explanation:

The width of the rectangle, w = 15 inches

The diagonal, d = 17 inches

The length of the rectangle, l = ?

The diagram is drawn below

The diagonal of the rectangle forms a right triangle with the width and the length. Therefore, the length will be found using the Pythagora's theorem


\begin{gathered} d^2=w^2+l^2 \\ 17^2=15^2+l^2 \\ l^2=17^2-15^2 \\ l=\sqrt[]{17^2-15^2} \\ l=\sqrt[]{289-225} \\ l=\sqrt[]{64} \\ l=8 \end{gathered}

The length of the rectangle = 8 inches

A rectangle has a width of 15 inches and a diagonal of 17 inches. Find the length-example-1
User Bertrand Caron
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