Question

What is the value of x in the right triangle?

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean theorem

a^2+b^2=c^2

Answer 2

3^2+b^2=9^2

solve for b

Answer 3

But how do you solve for b?

Answer 4

9+b^2=81

Answer 5

can you take it from there?

Answer 6

no i have no idea, i don't know where to start from, i never did these problems before.

Answer 7

solve for b algebraically.

Answer 8

b is the x value you are trying to find

Answer 9

so solve for x

Answer 10

3^2+b^2=9^2, To solve for b you simplify what you can which is squaring 3 which =9, then squaring 9 which =81. then you have 9+b^2= 81. to isolate b^2, subtract 9 from each side of the equals sign which is subtracting 9 from 9+b^2 putting b^2 on one side and subtracting 9 from 81 putting 72 on the other side.9 +b^2-9=b^2 and 81-9=72, so then you have b^2=72. Then you square root both sides of the equal sign. Th square root of b^2 is b because the square root of anything is it times itself. b*b=b^2, so the square root of b^2 is b. That allows b to be on one side of the equals sign, but you have to find what equals b. b=the square root of 72 , so what times itself equals 72? approximately 8.5* approximately 8.5= approximately 72. Two of these squiggly lines ->~, one above the other is an approximately sign. approximately = around that number because 72 doesn't have an exact square root. so you could either put b is approximately 8.5 or you could put b=the square root of 72