Question

Find the value of x in the triangle shown below.

Answer 1

x=5

Explanation:

Since this is a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem

a^2 +b^2 = c^2 where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse

12^2 +x^2 = 13^2

144 +x^2 = 169

Subtract 144 from each side

144-144 +x^2 = 169-144

x^2 =25

Take the square root of each side

sqrt(x^2) = sqrt(25)

x = 5