Question

The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 14.5 meters. The length of one of the legs is 8.7 meters. What is the length of the other leg of the triangle?

A. 5.8 m

B. 11.6 m

C. 16.9 m

D. 23.2 m

Answer 1

b=11.6m

Explanation:

If this is a right triangle;

a^2+b^2=c^2

A and B are both LEGS, while C is the HYPOTENUSE

(8.7^2)+b^2=(14.5^2)

b^2=(14.5^2)-(8.7^2)

b^2=134.56

b=plus or minus 11.6

Because length can't be negative, it's +11.6

Answer 2

The length of the other leg is 11.6 m Option B.

Explanation:

Given,

The length of the hypotenuse (h) of a right triangle = 14.5 meters

The length of one of the legs (l) = 8.7 meters

To find the length of the other leg (b).

Formula

By Pythagoras theorem we know that

h² = l²+b²

Now,

8.7²+b² = 14.5²

or, b² = 14.5² - 8.7²

or, b² = 210.25-75.69

or, b =
`√(134.56)` = 11.6 = 11.6 m ( approx)

Hence,

The length of the other leg is 11.6 m