Question

what is the length of the missing leg if necessary round to the nearest tenth 17 in and 15 in

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To find the length of the missing leg of a right triangle when you have the lengths of the other two legs (17 inches and 15 inches), you can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:

\( a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \)

where \( c \) is the hypotenuse, and \( a \) and \( b \) are the legs of the triangle.

If you have two legs (17 and 15 inches) and you need to find the length of the hypotenuse, you would calculate:

\[
c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} = \sqrt{17^2 + 15^2}
\]

Calculating each term:

\[
17^2 = 289
\]
\[
15^2 = 225
\]

Now, add them together:

\[
289 + 225 = 514
\]

Now take the square root:

\[
c = \sqrt{514} \approx 22.7 \text{ inches}
\]

If you're needing to find the length of one leg given the hypotenuse and one leg, you would use:

\[
c^2 = a^2 + b^2
\]

Rearranging gives:

\[
b = \sqrt{c^2 - a^2}
\]

If you have a different arrangement or are looking for something else, please clarify!