Question

the hypotenuse of a right triangle has a length of 13cm the longer of the two legs is 7cm longer than the shorter leg

Answer 1

Let's say the shorter side is x.

So, the longer side would be ( 7 + x )

Now we have to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the value of x.

a² + b² = c²

( 7 + x )² + x² = 13

7² + x² + x² = 13²

49 + 2x² = 169

2x² = 169 - 49

2x² = 120

x² = 60

x = √60

So the longer side is ( 7 + √60 ) and the shorter side is √60