Question

If you are substituting into the formula: a2 + b2=c2 numbers for a, b, and c; what would the order of operations be to solve for one of the variables?

Answer 1

To solve for one of the variables in the formula a^2 + b^2 = c^2, the order of operations would be as follows:

1. Square both sides of the equation to get rid of the square roots: (a^2 + b^2) = c^2 --> (a^2 + b^2)^2 = c^2^2
2. Simplify the equation by expanding the left side using the formula (a + b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2: a^4 + 2a^2b^2 + b^4 = c^4
3. Now, you can solve for one of the variables by isolating it on one side of the equation.

For example, if you want to solve for 'a', then you would subtract b^2 from both sides and then take the square root of both sides to isolate 'a':

a^2 = c^2 - b^2

a = √(c^2 - b^2)