Question

The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 20 feet and the length of one leg is 16 feet find the length of the other leg

Answer 1

This is a problem for which you will have to use the Pythagorean theorem.

The Pythagorean theorem states that:

x^2 + y^2 = h^2

where x and y are the legs, and h is the hypotenuse.

Let h = 20 ft, and x = 16

16^2 + y^2 = 20^2

Now, solve for y.

256 + y^2 = 400.
256 - 256 + y^2 = 400 - 256
y^2 = 144
y = 12

The length of the other leg is 12 feet.