Question

The leg of a right triangle is 4 units and the hypotenuse is 9 units. What is the length, in units, of the other leg of the triangle?

Answer 1

First of all, do you know what the Pythagorean theorem is?

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

Okay, well, the Pythagorean Theorem is a^2+b^2=c^2
(a and b are the legs of a triangle and c is the hypotenuse)
Now, we know that the second leg has to be lower than 9 because the hypotenuse is always the longest on a right triangle.
So, you would then plug the numbers into the equation.
When you do that you'd have a^2+4^2=9^2
Do you know what 4^2 and 9^2 is?

Answer 4

16 and 81

Answer 5

@vangoo98

Answer 6

Yes! 16 and 81.
So, now you're equation would be a^2+16=81
Then you would subtract 16 from 81.
What is 81-16?

Answer 7

Your*

Answer 8

65

Answer 9

@vangoo98

Answer 10

Yes, so, now you just take the square root of 65 and you have the other leg's length :)
It will be a decimal because 65 is not a perfect square.
Does that make sense?

Answer 11

ohh yeah! thank you!

Answer 12

You're welcome! :)