Looking at this proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, which statement(s) would be true? CHECK TWO THAT APPLY.

(2 points)
Responses

The yellow triangles have an area of a x b, which would = c
The yellow triangles have an area of a x b, which would = c

The length of a is the same as the length of c - (a+b).
The length of a is the same as the length of c - (a+b).

The four yellow triangles on the left all have the same area as the four yellow triangles on the right (a+b/2) - therefore, the two small green squares on the left have to have the same area as the large green square on the right.
The four yellow triangles on the left all have the same area as the four yellow triangles on the right (a+b/2) - therefore, the two small green squares on the left have to have the same area as the large green square on the right.

The area of both large squares are equal; so the triangles with the square(s) must have a total area that is equal to each other.
The area of both large squares are equal; so the triangles with the square(s) must have a total area that is equal to each other.

length of a + length of b = length of c

1 answer

To determine which statements are true regarding the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, we can analyze each response based on the context typically presented in such proofs.

  1. The yellow triangles have an area of a x b, which would = c.

    • This statement seems incorrect. The area of each triangle would typically be \((1/2) \times \text{base} \times \text{height}\), which doesn't equal \(c\).
  2. The length of a is the same as the length of c - (a+b).

    • This statement doesn't seem to be correct as well. It misrepresents the relationships among the sides based on the theorem.
  3. The four yellow triangles on the left all have the same area as the four yellow triangles on the right (a+b/2) - therefore, the two small green squares on the left have to have the same area as the large green square on the right.

    • This statement is somewhat convoluted but reflects a common reasoning in Pythagorean proofs. If the areas are appropriately compared, this could be true, depending on how the triangles fit into the squares.
  4. The area of both large squares are equal; so the triangles with the square(s) must have a total area that is equal to each other.

    • This statement is likely true, as the areas of the squares on the respective sides of the triangle reflect the Pythagorean theorem relationship \(a^2 + b^2 = c^2\).
  5. length of a + length of b = length of c.

    • This statement is not true as per the Pythagorean theorem; it should state that \(c\) is the hypotenuse, which relates to \(a\) and \(b\) through the squared lengths.

Based on this analysis, the two true statements would be:

  • The four yellow triangles on the left all have the same area as the four yellow triangles on the right (a+b/2) - therefore, the two small green squares on the left have to have the same area as the large green square on the right.
  • The area of both large squares are equal; so the triangles with the square(s) must have a total area that is equal to each other.