Question

A right triangle has a base of 16 meters and a height of 12 meters. Use the pythagorean theorem to find the third side.

Answer 1

20 meters

Explanation:

Write out and then apply the Pythagorean Theorem, a^2 + b^2 = c^2:

16^2 + 12^2 = hypotenuse^2:

256 + 144 = 400 = hypotenuse^2

The length of the third side is the length of the hypotenuse, which in turn is 20 meters.