document.write( "Question 199738:  Carpenters and builders will sometimes measure 3 ft from a corner along one wall and 4 ft along the other, then check that it's 5 ft between the 2 points. If it is, the walls are \"square\", at right angles.\r
\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "If the two short sides of a building are 3 and 4 how would you show carefully that you used the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the diagonal as 5?
\n" );
document.write( " \n" );
document.write( "
| Algebra.Com's Answer #150116 by tutor_paul(519)     You can put this solution on YOUR website! The Pythagorean Theorem is wriiten as follows: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "Where: \n" ); document.write( "a = one side of a right triangle \n" ); document.write( "b = the other side of a right triangle \n" ); document.write( "c = the hypoteneuse (diagonal) of a right trianagle\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( ". \n" ); document.write( "Note that this equation applies only to right triangles - which is a triangle which has one angle of 90 degrees. The hypoteneuse is the side of the triangle opposite this 90 degree angle.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( ".\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So back to the problem... the goal is to make sure that the walls of the building are \"square.\" That means that they form a 90 degree angle. So let's apply the pythagorean theorem to prove that if the 2 walls are length 3 and 4 respectively, the diagonal is 5.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( ".\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Pythagorean Theorem: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Substitute in your given values: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Simplify: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So you have proven that the diagonal is 5. Thus from the given information in the problem, you also know that the walls form a right angle.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "============ \n" ); document.write( "Good Luck, \n" ); document.write( "tutor_paul@yahoo.com\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |