Question

If in a right triangle, leg a = 15 and the hypotenuse, c = 22, what does the other leg, b equal?

Answer 1

`√(259)` or approximately 16.09

Explanation:

Using the pythagorean theorem, the formula would be
`a^(2) + b^(2) = c^(2)`

insert 15 into a and 22 into c.

you will get
`15^(2) + b^(2) = 22^(2)`

That simplifies into 225 +
`b^(2)` = 484

subtract the 225 from 484 to isolate the variable

then you will get
`b^(2)` = 259

square root both sides to get rid of the square:
`\sqrt b^(2)` =
`√(259)`

if you want the decimal version, fully square root the number and you will get approximately 16.09 (rounded to the nearest hundredth)