Question

The side lengths of a triangle are 5, 8, and 12. Is this a right triangle?

Answer 1

Answer:

no

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Answer: No, it is not a right triangle.

===================================================

Let

• a = 5
• b = 8
• c = 12

Let's see if a^2 + b^2 = c^2 is a true equation. If so, then we have a right triangle.

a^2 = 5^2 = 25

b^2 = 8^2 = 64

a^2+b^2 = 25+64 = 89

c^2 = 12^2 = 144

We see that a^2+b^2 = 89, but c^2 = 144. So a^2+b^2 = c^2 is a false equation when (a,b,c) = (5,8,12). Therefore, this is not a right triangle.

Side note: Because c^2 is larger than a^2+b^2 in this case, this means we have an obtuse triangle.