Answer: The third side would measure 7 inches (approximately)
Step-by-step Explanation: In any given triangle the size of the angles are as important as the length of the sides. That would determine which formula to apply in solving for any unknown side or angle. In a triangle with two sides given, like we have here the size of one or two of the angles would help in the calculation of the third side. But where no angle is provided, we shall assume it is a right angled triangle. It cannot be an equilateral triangle (because ALL SIDES must be equal), and we cannot tell if it’s an isosceles triangle (because TWO ANGLES MUST be equal) since no angle was given.
Therefore following our assumption, we can use the Pythagoras theorem which states that;
AC^2 = AB^2 + BC^2
Where AC is the longest side (hypotenuse) and AB and BC are the other two sides. The question requires us to calculate the smallest whole number, and hence we shall take the side measuring 8 as the hypotenuse. We can now substitute for the known values,
8^2= AB^2 + 4^2
64 = AB^2 + 16
AB^2 = 64 - 16
AB^2 = 48
Add the square root sign to both sides of the equation
AB = 6.9282
Rounded to the nearest whole number, the third side would measure 7 inches.