155k views
5 votes
\The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 8 cm. The length of one of its legs is 6 cm. What is the approximate area of the right triangle?

User Rubiojr
by
4.3k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

15.856 cm squared

Explanation:

We will use the pythagorean theorem: a^2+b^2=c^2.

In this case, a=6, and the hypotenuse, c, is 8.

Substitute the two numbers.

6^2+b^2=8^2

36+b^2=64

b^2=28

b is sqrt 28, or 2*sqrt7 (about 5.292)

The area of a triangle is base (a) times height (b) divided by two, so we know that:

Area=(6*5.292)/2

= 31.752/2

=15.876

Thus, we have found that the approximate area of the triangle is 15.856 cm squared.

User Fish
by
4.6k points