document.write( "Question 388632: Isosceles right triangles are cut from the four corners of a square piece of
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Algebra.Com's Answer #275003 by Edwin McCravy(20055) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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document.write( "We begin with a 12 in x 12 in square:\r\n" );
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document.write( "Then we cut out four isosceles triangles from the corners, to\r\n" );
document.write( "produce a regular octagon (stop sign):\r\n" );
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document.write( "Let x represent the length of the legs of these isosceles\r\n" );
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document.write( "Next we calculate the length of the hypotenuses of all\r\n" );
document.write( "the right triangles using the Pythagorean theorem:\r\n" );
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document.write( "So we label all these hypotenuses as \r\n" );
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document.write( "Since the octagon is regular, all its sides have the same measure,\r\n" );
document.write( "so we label the top, bottom, right and left sides of the octagon\r\n" );
document.write( "also as :\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now we add up the three parts of the length of each side of the square\r\n" );
document.write( "and set the sum equal to 12 inches, which is given as the side of the square:\r\n" );
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document.write( "Factor x out of the left side:\r\n" );
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document.write( "That's the answer, but your teacher may have intended you to\r\n" );
document.write( "rationalize the denominator:\r\n" );
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document.write( ", or about 3.514718626 inches.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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