Question

What is the length of side a? Round to the nearest tenth of an inch. Enter your answer in the box. ( Answer in Inches )

Answer 1

Given:

Base of a right triangle = 7 in

Height of a right triangle = a

Hypotenuse = 16 in

To find:

The length of side a.

Solution:

Using Pythagoras theorem:

$\text{Base}^2+\text{Height}^2=\text{Hypotenuse}^2$

$7^{2}+a^{2}=16^{2}$

$49+a^{2}=256$

Subtract 49 from both sides.

$49+a^{2}-49=256-49$

$a^{2}=207$

Taking square root on both sides, we get

a = 14.4

The length of side a is 14.4 in.