Derek is using this model to help answer a question related to the Pythagorean Theorem. He counted and numbered the squares off of the legs of the right triangle to obtain the total. Notice that Derek started with number 10 when counting the squares off the longer leg of the right triangle.

How many squares will it take to fill the large square?
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1 answer

To determine how many squares will fill the large square in relation to the Pythagorean theorem, we can use the theorem itself. The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse \( c \) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (legs), \( a \) and \( b \):

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

If we assume that Derek has given measurements related to the legs \( a \) and \( b \) of the triangle, we can follow these steps:

  1. Identify the squares: If Derek started counting with 10, then we need to understand what that means. If he numbered the squares starting from 10, it's possible that:

    • The lengths of the two legs correspond with the squares he numbered.
    • For example, if one leg has length \( a \) and the other has length \( b \), the number of unit squares that fit on each leg will correspond to their lengths.
  2. Find \( a \) and \( b \): Assuming that the numbers counted correspond to specific leg lengths:

    • If one leg had 10 squares starting from 10, it could suggest that the total number of squares on that leg is \( n \) where \( n \) includes 10 as one of the counts.
  3. Calculate the total area: Since the large square is formed by the right triangle, filling the large square involves calculating \( c^2 \), where:

    • \( c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} \)
    • Thus, to fill the large square corresponding to the right triangle formed by sides \( a \) and \( b \), you would ultimately be looking at \( a^2 + b^2 \).

To give a precise answer, we need the specific lengths of \( a \) and \( b \) from Derek's squares. If you can provide the lengths or more context, I can help calculate the exact number of squares that will fill the large square. Otherwise, you can use the steps above to find the answer based on the provided squares.