Question

Determine x for a right triangle where the hypotenuse is equal to 5 and one leg is equal to 4. A.) 9 B)3 C) 1 D) 5 which one is the answer..

Answer 1

B. 3
A^2+B^2=C^2
4^2+B^2=5^2
16+B^2=25
25-16=B^2
9=B^2
3=B

Answer 2

With the Pythagorean Theorem we can find the solution to this problem fairly quick.

The Pythagorean Theorem states if you square both legs and add them up it will equal to the hypotenuse squared.

$a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

The variables a and b represent the legs of a right triangle. And the variable c represents the hypotenuse.

We know one of the legs and the hypotenuse.

Plug in the values.

$4^2 + b^2 = 5^2$
$16 + b^2 = 5^2$
$16 + b^2 = 25$
$b^2 = 9$
$b = 3$

So, the other leg is equal to 3.