Question

Suppose the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 8 cm and one of the legs is 5 cm. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the measure of the triangle's other leg. Round the measure to the nearest whole number.

Answer 1

Base, B is 6cm.

Explanation:

Pythagoras theorem states that, in a right-angled triangle (ABC) , the square of the hypotenuse (C) is equal to the sum of squares of the other two sides (AB).

Mathematically, it is given by the equation;

Adjacent² + Base² = Hypotenuse²

A² + B² = C²

Given from the question, C = 8cm, A = 5cm and B = x (unknown)

Substituting the parameters into the equation we have;

5² + x² = 8²

25 + x² = 64

x² = 64 - 25

x² = 39

Taking the square root of both sides, we have;

x = 6.25cm

To the nearest whole number x equals 6cm.

Hence, B = 6cm