Question 766161
Q:
The hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is 8 cm long and the perimeter of a triangle is 17 cm. Find the lengths of the other two sides, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
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A:
Let x be the length of one leg.
Therefore, the other leg measures 9-x.
Using Pythagorean Theorem:
{{{x^2 + (9-x)^2 = 8^2}}}
{{{2x^2-18x+17=0}}}
Apply the Quadratic Formula
x = {{{(-(-18)+-sqrt((-18)^2-4(2)(17)))/(2(2))}}}
x ≈ 7.93 OR 1.07
9-x ≈ 1.07 OR 7.93
The lengths of the other two sides are approximately {{{highlight(7.93)}}} cm and {{{highlight(1.07)}}} cm.