Finding the missing side of the right triangle. Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

we have 18 and 8

1 answer

To find the missing side of a right triangle when you have two sides, you can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:

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

where \(c\) is the length of the hypotenuse, and \(a\) and \(b\) are the lengths of the other two sides.

From your provided numbers, let's assume:

  • One side \(a = 8\)
  • Hypotenuse \(c = 18\)

We need to find the missing side \(b\). Using the Pythagorean theorem:

\[ 8^2 + b^2 = 18^2 \]

Calculating the squares:

\[ 64 + b^2 = 324 \]

Now, isolate \(b^2\):

\[ b^2 = 324 - 64 \] \[ b^2 = 260 \]

Now, take the square root to find \(b\):

\[ b = \sqrt{260} \]

Calculating \( \sqrt{260} \):

\[ b \approx 16.1245 \]

Rounding to the nearest tenth:

\[ b \approx 16.1 \]

So, the missing side of the triangle is approximately 16.1.