Question

How would you use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing length in the triangle shown? Find the missing length.

Answer 1

The given triangle is a right angle triangle. The pythagorean theorem is expressed as

hypotenuse^2 = one leg^2 + other leg^2

From the diagram,

hypotenuse = AB = c

one leg = BC = 9

other leg = AC = 12

By applying the pythagorean theorem, we have

`\begin{gathered} c^2=9^2+12^2\text{ = 81 + 144} \\ c^2\text{ = 225} \\ c\text{ = }\sqrt[]{225} \\ c\text{ = 15} \end{gathered}`

The missing length is 15 cm