3 and 5

Question

Use the geometric mean to find the value of x, which is the shortest leg of the large triangle. Round to the nearest tenth, if necessary. (1 point)

Responses 4.9 8 2.8 15

Answer 1

To find the value of \( x \) using the geometric mean, we can use the formula for the geometric mean of two numbers \( a \) and \( b \):

\[ x = \sqrt{a \times b} \]

In this case, you mentioned the lengths 3 and 5. Therefore, we will calculate the geometric mean as follows:

\[ x = \sqrt{3 \times 5} = \sqrt{15} \]

Calculating \( \sqrt{15} \):

\[ \sqrt{15} \approx 3.87 \]

Now, rounding to the nearest tenth, we get:

\[ \approx 3.9 \]

Since this is not listed as one of the choices you provided (4.9, 8, 2.8, 15), please clarify if there are additional details or correct number pairs you would like to provide.

If you need the shortest leg essential to a specific triangle (like in a right triangle scenario), more context is needed. However, based on just the provided numbers 3 and 5, the geometric mean rounds to approximately 3.9.