Question

Find the value of x in the triangle shown below.
Choose 1 answer:

Answer 1

For the triangle, x is 12 units long.

Explanation:

Step 1:

According to the Pythagorean theorem, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

The hypotenuse is the side which is the longest in the triangle and is always opposite the right angle.

In the given triangle, the hypotenuse is 13 units long. The other two sides measure 5 units and x units.

Step 2:

By substituting the known values, we get

`13^(2) = 5^(2) + x^(2) .`

`x^(2) = 169 - 25 = 144.`

`x = 12.`

Rounding this off to the nearest hundred, we get that x is 12 units long.