SOLUTION: The length of the shorter leg, a, of a right triangle is 6 centimeters less than the length of the hypotenuse, c, and the length of the longer leg, b, is 3 centimeters less than t

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Question 907630: The length of the shorter leg, a, of a right triangle is 6 centimeters less than the length of the hypotenuse, c, and the length of the longer leg, b, is 3 centimeters less than the length of the hypotenuse. Find the length of the sides of the right triangle.
Answer by Fombitz(32388) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
a%5E2%2Bb%5E2=c%5E2
%28c-6%29%5E2%2B%28c-3%29%5E2=c%5E2
c%5E2-12c%2B36%2Bc%5E2-6c%2B9=c%5E2
c%5E2-18c%2B45=0
%28c-3%29%28c-15%29=0
Two solutions:
c-3=0
c=3
However this solution doesn't work since the leg lengths would be b=0 and a=-3.
.
.
.
c-15=0
c=15
Then,
a=15-6
a=9
and
b=15-3
b=12