Question

Joel wants to fence off a triangular portion of his yard for his chickens. The three pieces of fencing he has to use are 8 feet, 15 feet, and 20 feet long. Will he be able to make a right triangle with his fence? Why or why not.

Answer 1

Explanation:

The three pieces of fencing he has to use are 8 feet, 15 feet, and 20 feet long. For him to be able to make a right triangle with his fence, the length of the sides must form a Pythagoras triple. To determine if the lengths make a Pythagoras triple, we would apply Pythagoras theorem which is expressed as

Hypotenuse² = opposite side² + adjacent².

Therefore

20² = 8² + 15²

400 = 64 + 225 = 289

Since they are not equal, it means that they do not form Pythagoras theorem, thus,.

He will not be able to make a right triangle with his fence.