Question

The area of a square is 32 cm. find the length of the diagonal

Answer 1

The length of the diagonal is 8 cm.

Explanation:

The side length of the square is √32 cms.

The diagonal divide the square into 2 congruent right triangles.

We use Pythagoras Theorem here:

d^2 = (√32)^2 + (√32)^2

d^2 = 32 + 32 = 64

d = √64 = 8.

Answer 2

8 cm

Explanation:

Squares have equal side lengths so if we call each side x, then x × x gives us the area (32 cm²). This means that x² = 32 and therefore, one side is √32 cm.

Next, to work out the diagonal we can use Pythagoras' theory, since we can form a right-angled triangle. a² + b² = c² (c is the diagonal or the hypotenuse)

(√32)² + (√32)² = c²

(note: the square and the square root cancel out)

32 + 32 = 64

c² = 64 ∴ c = √64 which is 8

Hope this helps!