SOLUTION: My math homework says.... Draw a right triangle. One of the legs measures 8cm. The other leg measures 6cm. What is the length of the hypotenuse? Thank You

Algebra ->  Triangles -> SOLUTION: My math homework says.... Draw a right triangle. One of the legs measures 8cm. The other leg measures 6cm. What is the length of the hypotenuse? Thank You      Log On


   

Question 687104: My math homework says.... Draw a right triangle. One of the legs measures 8cm. The other leg measures 6cm. What is the length of the hypotenuse? Thank You
Found 2 solutions by funmath, josh_jordan:
Answer by funmath(2933) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Draw a right triangle. One of the legs measures 8cm. The other leg measures 6cm. What is the length of the hypotenuse?
I can't really draw a right triangle for you here, but the Pythagorean Theorem helps us to find the hypotenuse: (leg)^2+(other leg)^2=(hypotenuse)^2
Usually, we use a and b for the legs and c for the hypotenuse.
highlight%28a%5E2%2Bb%5E2=c%5E2%29
8%5E2%2B6%5E2=c%5E2
64%2B36=c%5E2
100=c%5E2
sqrt%28100%29=sqrt%28c%5E2%29
10=c
The hypotenuse is 10 cm.
Happy Calculating!

Answer by josh_jordan(263) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
To find the hypotenuse of a right triangle when you are given the lengths of two sides, you will use the formula: a%5E2+%2B+b%5E2+=+c%5E2, where a represents one leg, b represents the other leg, and c represents the hypotenuse. In order to find c, for this right trangle, plug in the numbers into the equation:
8%5E2+%2B+6%5E2+=+c%5E2
Which breaks down to:
64+%2B+36+=+c%5E2, simplified to
100+=+c%5E2
To solve for c, take the square root of both sides:
sqrt%28100%29+=+sqrt%28c%5E2%29 =
10+=+c
So, the length of the hypotenuse is 10cm.