Question

The lengths of two sides of a right triangle are given. Find the length of the third side. Round to the nearest tenth if necessary.
leg: 32 m; hypotenuse: 38 m

26.8 m

20.5 m

49.7 m

26.6 m

Answer 1

Use the Pythagorean theorem.

$32^{2} + x^{2} = 38^{2} \\ 1024 + x^{2} = 1444 \\ x^{2} = 420 \\ \sqrt{ x^{2} } = \sqrt{420} \\ x = 20.493...$
The answer would be B.

Answer 2

32^2 + x^2 = 38^2
1024 + x^2 = 1444
-1024 -1024
x^2= 420
x=20.493901532