To find the answer to this problem, you will need to use the Pythagorean Theorem.
What is the Pythagorean Theorem?
The Pythagorean Theorem is an equation that represents the summation of the sides of a right triangle.
a² + b² = c², where a is the shortest leg of the triangle, b is the longest leg and c is the hypothenuse.
You have been given a (12) and b (16)
First, plug your given information into the equation: 12² + 16² = c²
Next, simplify your equation by squaring both terms:
12² = 144
16² = 256
Then, add these two answers together: 144+ 256= 400
This leaves you with the equation: 400 = c²
To isolate the c as an individual term, take the square root of both sides:
The above equation leaves you with the answer 20 = c, which is the hypothenuse