Legs: The two smaller sides of a right triangle; the sides that meet at 90°.
In Pythagorean Theorem, all three sides of a right triangle have names and certain measurements that explain their names. The legs of a right triangle are the two smaller sides; they meet at a 90° angle and form a square to ensure the 90°. The bigger side of a right triangle is what we call the hypotenuse. The hypotenuse equals what the legs squared add up to. For example, we can take the three measurements:
12 cm, 5 cm, 13 cm
Since the two smaller numbers are 5 and 12, those would be our legs in the right triangle. Because 13 is the largest, it would be our hypotenuse. To identify the equivalence of the equation, we would square 5 and 12 to see if it equals up to 13 squared
5 squared is 25, and 12 squared is 144. Because 144 + 25 = 169, and 13 squared is 169, we know that the right triangle exists. If you need a further explanation, let me know and I will gladly assist you.
