SOLUTION: Please help me solve this equation. Primeter of a right triangle is 12 feet and one of it's legs measurae 3 feet . How do you find the lengh of the other leg and the hypotenuse

Hi, 

Perimeter of a right triangle is 12 feet. (thus the sum other two sides = 9ft)       

Let 3, x  and (9ft-x) represent the lengths of the sides

Applying the Pythagoream Theorem to solve for x

 3^2 + x^2 = (9ft-x)^2

Solving for x

  9 + x^2 = 81 - 18x + x^2

      18x = 72

        x = 4ft, length of the other leg and the hypotenuse is 5ft  (9ft-4ft)

CHECKING our Answer

 3^2 + 4^2 = 9 + 16 = 25 = 5^2