Question

A right triangle has a hypotenuse of 15 cm. What are possible lengths for the two legs of the triangle? Select all possible choices.

A. Square root of 300 and 15

B. Square root of 125 and 10

C. Square root of 200 and 5

D. Square root of 150 and 25

Answer 1

B, C

Explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem tells you the relation between the legs and hypotenuse is ...

c² = a² +b²

The square of the hypotenuse is c² = 15² = 225. Both sides will be shorter than √225 = 15. This eliminates choices A and D.

The sum of the squares of the side lengths listed in choices B and C is 225, so those are appropriate selections.

B: (√125)² +(10)² = 125 +100 = 225

C: (√200)² +5² = 200 +25 = 225