Question 458156: One leg of a right triangle is 96 inches. Find the hypotenuse and the other leg if the length of the hypotenuse exceeds 2½ times the other leg by 4 inches.
If x represents the length of the other leg, which of the following equations is the Pythagorean theorem written in general form?
Answer by jorel1380(3719)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! 96^2+x^2=(5x/2+4)^2
9216+x^2=25x^2/4+20x+16
36864+4x2=25x2+80x+64
21x2+80x-36800=0
(21x+920)(x-40)=0
x=-920/21 or 40
Throwing out the negative answer, we get x=40, 5x/2+4=104, so the legs of the triangle are 40, 96, and 104 inches..
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