Question

The lengths of two sides of a right triangle are 12 inches and 15 inches. What is the difference between the two possible lengths of the third side of the triangle? Round your answer to the nearest tenth. Please help!

Answer 1

In the problem, two legs measurement were given such as:
Leg 1 = 12 inches
Leg 2 = 15 inches

We need to solve for the third leg. Since it is a right triangle, we can use Pythagorean theorem in solving the missing leg:
c²=b²+a²

When we assume that the third leg is the "c", we can for the value such as:
c² = 12²+15²
c=19.21

When we assume that the third is either "a" or "b":
15² =a² + 12²
a=9

Then, the possible measurement of the third leg is 9 or 19.21.
The difference between the two possible answer is shown below:
Difference = 19.21 -9 = 10.21
Difference =10.21