Question 361348
The longer leg of a right triangle exceeds the shorter leg by 1 inch, and the hypotenuse exceeds the longer leg by 7 inches. Find the lengths of the legs. Round to the nearest tenth of a inch. 
The answer the book shows is: 17.6in. and 18.6 in.
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shorter leg: x
longer leg: x+1
hypotenuse: x+8 
(x+8)^2 = (x+1)^2 + x^2
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x^2 + 16x + 64 = x^2+2x+1 + x^2
x^2 -14x -63 = 0
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Quadratic formula:
x = [-b +- sqrt(b^2-4ac)]/(2a)
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x = [14 +- sqrt(196-4*1*-63)/(2)
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x = [14 +- sqrt(448)]/2
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x = [14 +- 21.17]/2
Positive solution:
x = 17.6
x+1 = 18.6
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shorter leg: x = 17.6
longer leg: x+1 = 18.6
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Cheers,
Stan H.
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