Question

Given: AABC is a right triangle.

BC =5, AC = 20
Determine the length of the missing side of AABC. When applicable, simplify radicals and show all of your work.

Answer 1

19.365

Explanation:

The Pythagoreum Theorum tells us that:

a² + b² = c²

where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse.

BC is a leg; we'll lable it a.

AC is the hypotenuse thus labled c.

Plugging their lengths into the above formula will solve for the missing leg length.

5² + x² = 20²

25 + x² = 400

x² = 375

✓x = ✓3 x (5 x 5) x 5

x = 5✓15

x = 19.365