Question

What is the length of the side of a right triangle that has a side length of 12 ft and hypotenuse that measures 15 ft

Answer 1

Answer:

9 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

The Pythagorean theorem states

a^2+b^2 = c^2 where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse

Substituting in what we know (one leg is 12 and the hypotenuse is 15)

12^2 +b^2 = 15^2

144+ b^2 = 225

Subtract 144 from each side

144-144 +b^2 = 225-144

b^2 =81

Take the square root of each side

sqrt(b^2) = sqrt(81)

b = 9