To find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs measuring 12 cm each, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle:
\[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 \]
where \( c \) is the length of the hypotenuse, and \( a \) and \( b \) are the lengths of the legs. In this case, both legs are 12 cm, so we have:
\[ c^2 = 12^2 + 12^2 \] \[ c^2 = 144 + 144 \] \[ c^2 = 288 \]
To find \( c \), we take the square root:
\[ c = \sqrt{288} \] \[ c \approx 16.97 \]
Thus, to the nearest hundredth, the length of the hypotenuse is approximately 16.97 cm.
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