Question

The radius of a sphere is 6 inches. Find the length of a chord connecting two perpendicular radii. x = inches

Answer 1

Answer:

6√2 ≈ 8.485 inches

Step-by-step explanation:

The radii and the chord together make an isosceles right triangle with legs 6 inches long. The hypotenuse of such a triangle is √2 times the leg length. So, the chord will be 6√2 in long.

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Comment on isosceles right triangle

It is worth remembering that the hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle is √2 times the leg length. This is easily found using the Pythagorean theorem:

... c² = a² + b²

... c² = 1² + 1² = 2 . . . . for legs of length 1

... c = √2 . . . . . . . . . . take the square root.

Scale this result as needed for any particular problem. Here, the scale factor is 6 inches.