Question 330771
<br>When dealing with right triangles, we will definitely make use of the Pythagorean Theorem! <br>

{{{a^2+b^2=c^2}}} where c is the hypotenuse of the triangle, and a and b are the shorter legs of the triangle.<br>

So we have three sides, they are:<br>

{{{a=unknown}}}, {{{b=1}}}, and {{{c=sqrt(17)}}}<br>

We will plug these values into the Pythagorean Theorem and solve for a:<br>

{{{a^2+(1)^2=(sqrt(17))^2}}}<br>

{{{a^2+1=17}}}<br>

{{{a^2=16}}}<br>

{{{a=4}}}<br>

I hope this helps!<br>