Question

If a right triangle has a hypotenuse of 12 inches and a leg of 5 inches,

how could you use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing side? What is the length of the missing side?

Answer 1

You can rearrange the expression to solve for the missing side. The missing side is 10.9087121 inches, or
`√(119)`.

Explanation:

The Pythagorean Theorem is
`a^2+b^2=c^2` and you need to find the other leg which is, lets say, b. You can rearrange it to be
`b^2=c^2-a^2` with the Subtraction Property of Equality. If we substitute the values,
`√(12^2-5^2) = √(119)`. Then,
`√(119) = 10.9087121`. Hope this helps.