Question

Marsha used about 400 square 1-inch tiles to cover the tabletop that was shaped like a right triangle. The length of one leg of the right triangle was 16 inches. What was the length of the other leg of the triangle?

Answer 1

The area of the right triangular tabletop is calculated through the equation,
A = 0.5(L₁)(L₂)
The area, as stated above, is equal to 400 in². Substituting the known values to the equation above,
400 = 0.5(16 in)(L₂)
The value of L₂ is equal to 50 inches. Thus, the second length is equal to 50 inches.