can someone plz explain to me the pythagorean theroem?

Question

e.mccormick · Answer

Explain in what context?

e.mccormick · Answer

What it does, why, how, where it is used in math, etc.  There are just tons of possibilities.

anonymous · Answer

how to do it

e.mccormick · Answer

OH!  OK.  Well, this is for what, geometry/trig of right triangles?  That is usually where it is used first.

anonymous · Answer

trig of right triangles.

e.mccormick · Answer

Take a right triangle, any right triangle, and label the sides a, b, and c.  When we label it, c goes on the hypotenuse, which is the longest side and opposite the 90 degree angle.  The others, a and b, do not need to be anywhere special.  Either leg will do.
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e.mccormick · Answer

So, with me to that point?

anonymous · Answer

yeah

anonymous · Answer

$$a^2+b^2=c^2$$
So if you have a right triangle like so:|dw:1367985654975:dw|
You know that the equation above is true. So square root both sides and you can solve for side c given lengths of a and b.
In case you're curious, it comes from law of cosines:
$$a^2+b^2=c^2+2abcos(C)$$
When C is 90, cos(90) is 0, so that term goes away, leaving you with just the equation you know :)

e.mccormick · Answer

The Pythagorean Theorem is a special relationship between the lengths of those three sides.  It is written as $a^2+b^2=c^2$.

If I give you any two of those, you move things around as needed and solve for the third.  So to find c, I just move the square as a square root:
$\sqrt{a^2+b^2}=c$

If I needed to find a or b, a little more work is needed:
$a=\sqrt{c^2-b^2}$

anonymous · Answer

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anonymous · Answer

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anonymous · Answer

$$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$$

e.mccormick · Answer

This lets you use a bit of algebra to solve right triangles.  It is also useful in finding the distance to a point, and lots of other things.

anonymous · Answer

Well explained @e.mccormick :)

e.mccormick · Answer

Thanks.  Just trying to cove the basics of it.

e.mccormick · Answer

How we doing fenixia49?  That enough, or did you need more?

anonymous · Answer

can you explain it a little more easier please?

e.mccormick · Answer

Most people have seen the 30-60-90 triangle by this point.  This is a famous one because of the ratios of the sides, 1 to $\sqrt{3}$ to 2.  With the Pythagorean Formula, you can confirm these.

Pick one of those three you want to confirm and I'll go over it.

e.mccormick · Answer

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