Question

Solve one of the two problems for x. The answers for both are the same. You are more than welcome to do both to check your answer!

Make sure you round to the nearest tenth if necessary.

Answer 1

x = 49

Explanation:

Let's solve for x in the first triangle by applying the leg rule.

Leg rule is given as: hypotenuse/leg = leg/part

Hypotenuse = x

Leg = 28

Part = 16

Plug in the values into the equation

x/28 = 28/16

Cross multiply

x*16 = 28*28

16x = 784

x = 784/16

x = 49

✔️Let's check our answer to see if we would get the same value of x for the other triangle. Apply the same leg rule.

Hypotenuse = x

Leg = 21

Part = 9

Thus:

x/21 = 21/9

Cross multiply

x*9 = 21*21

9x = 441

x = 441/9

x = 49

✔️We have the same value. Therefore, x = 49 is the correct answer.