Question

2a) What is the side length of the following square?*

Answer 1

Exact answer:
`√(29)`

Approximate answer:
`5.385`

Explanation:

Start at the bottom vertex.

Go up 5 units, then go left 2 units. Now you're at the left vertex.

The vertical segment 5 units long and the horizontal segment 2 units long are the legs of a right triangle. The left side of the square is the hypotenuse of that right triangle.

We now use the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the hypotenuse.

`c^2 = a^2 + b^2`

`c^2 = 5^2 + 2^2`

`c^2 = 25 + 4`

`c^2 = 29`

`c = √(29)`

`c \approx 5.385`