Question

For the following right triangle, find the side length of x. round your answer to the nearest hundredth.

top side: x
left side: 15
right side: 8

Answer 1

17 units

Explanation:

The sides of all right triangles share the same relationship known as the Pythagorean Theorem a² + b² = c². Substitute the lengths of the triangle into the theorem and solve for the unknown side. Since the problem does have an attached a picture, assume that a = 8, b = 15, and c = x.

8² + 15² = x²

64 + 225 = x²

289 = x²

√289 = √x²

17 = x