SOLUTION: hi, would you please help me solve this multiple choice question?: one leg of a right triangle is twice as long as the other leg. the area of the triangle is 36 square feet. what

Question 943433: hi, would you please help me solve this multiple choice question?:
one leg of a right triangle is twice as long as the other leg. the area of the triangle is 36 square feet. what is the length of the shorter leg? the choices are:
a) 5 ft b) 6 ft c) 7 ft d) 8 ft
i know the answer is 6 ft but i'd like to know how you get this answer. thank you!

Answer by amarjeeth123(569) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let the length of the shorter leg be x.
Then the length of the longer leg is 2x.
Area of the triangle=36 square feet
1/2*base*height=36
1/2*x*2x=36
x^2=36
x=6
The solution is x=6 feet.
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