Answer:
The length of the hypotenuse side is (9 + 2·√7) cm
Step-by-step explanation:
The given parameters of the triangle are;
The type f triangle = Right triangle
The length of the sides 2 cm and 7 cm shorter than the hypotenuse
Let 'h' represent the length of the hypotenuse side of the triangle, in centimeters we have;
The length of one side of the right triangle = (h - 2) cm
The length of the other side of the right triangle = (h - 7) cm
By Pythagoras's theorem, we have;
h² = (h - 2)² + (h - 7)²
Using search function on the internet, we have;
h² = (h - 2)² + (h - 7)² = 2·h² - 18·h + 53
∴ h² = 2·h² - 18·h + 53
∴ 2·h² - 18·h + 53 = h²
h² - 18·h + 53 = 0
53 is a prime number, therefore, by the quadratic formula, we have;
h = (18 ± √((-18)² - 4×1×53))/(2 × 1)
h = 9 + 2·√7 cm ≈ 14.29 cm or h = 9 - 2·√7 ≈ 3.71
However, given that one of the side is 7 cm shorter than the hypotenuse, for all the sides to remain positive, we have h = 9 + 2·√7 cm ≈ 14.29 cm , because for h ≈ 3.71 cm, we have;
The length of the other side = (h - 7) cm ≈ (3.71 - 7) cm ≈ -3.29 cm which is not possible for a real triangle
Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse side, h = 9 + 2·√7 cm ≈ 14.29 cm.
