The Pythagorean theorem states that the sum of the squares of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the hypoten

Question

3 years ago

5

The Pythagorean theorem states that the sum of the squares of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the hypoten

use by the formula a2 + b2 = c2.
If a is a rational number and b is a rational number, why could c be an irrational number?

Mathematics

2 answers:

alexira [117] · Answer 1 · 2022-05-14T06:04:21+03:00

alexira [117]3 years ago

6 0

Because it could be a square root

Travka [436] · Answer 2 · 2022-05-14T07:56:02+03:00

Travka [436]3 years ago

5 0

Because you are adding two numbers (a^2 and b^2) and doing the square root to find the third number. Square roots are not rational unless they are of a perfect square