Question

A student is asked to find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle. The length of one leg is 38 ​centimeters, and the length of the other leg is 29 centimeters. The student incorrectly says that the length of the hypotenuse is 8.2centimeters. Answer parts a and b.

Find the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.
The length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle to the nearest tenth of a centimeter is ..... cm
​(Round to the nearest tenth as​ needed.)

Answer 1

The answer is 1,143.

Answer 2

1,142.5 or 1,143

Explanation:

Part A: Start by writing out the equation a2 + b2 = c2. Since both sides a and b are known, fill it in. So, now it is 38 squared + 29 squared = c2. Next, you have to find the square roots for both sides, or legs. For 38 squared, it will be 38 x 38 = 1,444. For 29 squared, it will be 29 x 29 = 841. Now that we both legs, we add that together: 1,444 + 841, which equals 2,285. Then, you need to divide 2,285 by 2, which is 1,142.5

Since you need to round, it would be 1,143.

Part B: 1,143