A right triangle with side lengths R, S, and T is formed with three squares joined at their vertices as shown below.

Using the areas of the given squares, what are the side lengths of the R, S, & T?

The length of Side R is
.

The length of Side S is
.

The length of Side T is
.

1 answer

To determine the lengths of the sides \( R \), \( S \), and \( T \) of the right triangle formed by three squares, we can use the relationship between the side lengths of a right triangle and the areas of the squares:

  1. Let the areas of the squares on the sides \( R \), \( S \), and \( T \) be represented as \( A_R \), \( A_S \), and \( A_T \), respectively.
  2. Since the area of a square is equal to the side length squared, we have: \[ A_R = R^2, \quad A_S = S^2, \quad A_T = T^2 \]
  3. For a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states: \[ R^2 + S^2 = T^2 \]
  4. Substituting the areas into this equation, we get: \[ A_R + A_S = A_T \]

From the established relationships, we can express the side lengths as follows:

  • The length of side \( R \) is: \[ R = \sqrt{A_R} \]

  • The length of side \( S \) is: \[ S = \sqrt{A_S} \]

  • The length of side \( T \) is: \[ T = \sqrt{A_T} \]

By determining the areas you have for each of the squares formed on sides \( R \), \( S \), and \( T \), substitute those values into the equations above to calculate the side lengths \( R \), \( S \), and \( T \).

If you provide specific values for the areas of the squares \( A_R \), \( A_S \), and \( A_T \), I can help you compute the lengths of sides \( R \), \( S \), and \( T \).