Question

If a triangle has sides of length 12 and 16, how long is the hypotenuse?(1 point)

Answer 1

To determine the length of the hypotenuse, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

Let's denote the sides of the triangle as follows:
- The length of the first side (adjacent to the right angle) is a = 12.
- The length of the second side (opposite to the right angle) is b = 16.
- The length of the hypotenuse is c.

The Pythagorean theorem is expressed as:
c² = a² + b²

Substituting the given values, we have:
c² = 12² + 16²
c² = 144 + 256
c² = 400

Taking the square root of both sides, we find:
c = √400
c = 20

Therefore, the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle is 20.