Question

How can you determine which of the three numbers is the hypotenuse? Once the hypotenuse is identified, then does it matter which length you substitute for the a and b in a^2+b^2=c^2? Justify your answer

Answer 1

Answer:

The greatest number of the 3 is the hypotenuse. It doesn't matter which one you substitute for a and b

Step-by-step explanation:

Since $c^2 = a^2 + b^2$ and $a^2, b^2 > 0$. This means $c^2 > a^2,b^2$ and c > a,b. The hypotenuse is the one with the greatest length of the 3 sides. Once the hypotenuse is identified, it doesn't matter which length you substitute for the a and b in $a^2+b^2=c^2$.