Question

The lengths of the legs of a right triangle are 5 centimeters and 10 centimeters. Which of the following measures is closest to the length of the hypotenuse?

Answer 1

Hey there!

The length of the hypotenuse is about 11 centimeters.

To solve this, we use the formula $a^2+b^2=c^2$, where $c$ is the hypotenuse leg and $a$ and $b$ are the other sides. So we can plug the numbers in to the formula:

$5^2 + 10^2 = c^2$

Now we get the squares of 5 and 10:

$25 + 100 = c^2$

Add 25 and 100:

$125 = c^2$

Take the square root from both sides:

$11.18033... = c$

The length of the hypotenuse is about 11 centimeters.

Hope it helps and have an amazing day!