Question

if 8 and 15 are two smallest values in a pythagorean triple, what is the largest value, c, in the triple

Answer 1

Answer:

c = 17

Step-by-step explanation:

Use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve this problem.

The equation is a² + b² = c².

"a" and "b" are the length of the two shorter sides or values.

"c" is the length of the longest side or value, also the hypotenuse.

Since we know the two smaller values, we can replace "a" and "b" with 8 and 15. It does not matter which letter you decide to replace with which number.

Then simplify and  isolate "c" to find the largest value.

a² + b² = c²

8² + 15² = c²         Substitute "a" and "b". Square the numbers to simplify

64 + 225 = c²        Add to simplify

289 = c²        

√289 = √c²        Square root both sides

√289 = c      "c" will be isolated because √ and ² are reverse operations

c = √289    Put 'c' on the left side for standard formatting.

c = 17           Answer

Therefore the largest value, c, is 17 in the triple.