To find the length of the unknown leg in a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem:
\[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \]
where \( a \) and \( b \) are the lengths of the legs, and \( c \) is the hypotenuse.
From your description, it seems we know one leg is 2 ft, and the other leg is 1 ft. If we are finding the hypotenuse, we can plug in those values:
Let \( a = 1 \) ft, \( b = 2 \) ft, and we are looking for \( c \).
\[ 1^2 + 2^2 = c^2 \] \[ 1 + 4 = c^2 \] \[ 5 = c^2 \] \[ c = \sqrt{5} \approx 2.2 \text{ ft} \]
If you're looking for the other leg (let's assume we know the hypotenuse is longer), we can denote the unknown leg as \( x \):
Given that the hypotenuse is 2 ft, we can write:
\[ x^2 + 1^2 = 2^2 \] \[ x^2 + 1 = 4 \] \[ x^2 = 4 - 1 \] \[ x^2 = 3 \] \[ x = \sqrt{3} \approx 1.7 \text{ ft} \]
If you need a specific calculation or interpretation, please clarify!