Question

45mi, 36mi, b
What is the length of the missing leg? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.
b=__miles

Answer 1

To find the length of the missing leg \( b \) in a right triangle where the other two legs are 45 miles and 36 miles, we 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 (legs).

Assuming that 45 miles is the hypotenuse, we can set up the equation as follows:

\[
36^2 + b^2 = 45^2
\]

Calculating the squares:

\[
1296 + b^2 = 2025
\]

Now, subtract 1296 from both sides:

\[
b^2 = 2025 - 1296 = 729
\]

Next, we take the square root of both sides to find \( b \):

\[
b = \sqrt{729} = 27
\]

Thus, the length of the missing leg \( b \) is:

\[
b = 27 \text{ miles}
\]

If you were referring to a different configuration (with 45 and 36 as legs), please clarify, and we can recalculate accordingly.