Question

The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 15cm, and the shorter leg is 9cm. Find the length of the other leg

Answer 1

Hello!

If you add up the squares of the two legs, it will equal the square of the hypotenuse. As we already have the hypotenuse, we will subtract.

225-81=144

Now we find the square root.

√144=12

Therefore, the other leg is 12 cm long.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

Hello,

We apply the theorem of Pythagoras. Let x be the other side, y the hypotenuse and z the smallest side.

x² = y² - z²

x² = 15² - 9²

x² = 225 - 81 = 144

x = √(144) = 12 cm

Bye :)