Question

Find the length of the missing side. The triangle is not drawn to scale.

Answer 1

Answer:

b=8

Step-by-step explanation:

This is a right triangle, as we can see from the box in the corner.

We can use Pythagorean theorem to find the unknown side

a^2 +b^2 = c^2

where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse

15^2 +b^2 = 17^2

225 + b^2 =289

Subtract 225 from each side

225-225 + b^2 = 289-225

b^2 =64

Take the square root of each side

sqrt(b^2) = sqrt(64)

b = 8