Question

Sara is building a triangular pen for her pet rabbit. If two of the sides measure 8 feet and 15 feet, what could the length of the third side be?

Answer 1

As the pen is a triangle, the third side can either be the hypotenuse or a regular side. If the third side is the hypotenuse, it's length would be $l= \sqrt{8^2+15^2} = \sqrt{64+225} = \sqrt{289} =17$ feet. If the third side is a regular side, than it would be $l= \sqrt{15^2-8^2} = \sqrt{225-64} = \sqrt{161}$≈12.689 feet. This means your third side can either be 17 feet long or 12.689 feet long.