Question

The Pythagorean theorem states that the sum of the squares of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the hypotenuse by the formula a2 + b2 = c2.

If a is a rational number and b is a rational number, why could c be an irrational number?

Answer 1

The left side of the equation will result in a rational number, which could be a non-perfect square.

Explanation

hope this helps and is correct, happy to help ^^

Answer 2

c, can be an irrational number because of the squaring of a and b