In Calculations Involving Right Triangles The Hypotenuse Is Usually Represented By What Letter? a,b,c, or h

Question

I believe it is c

Answer 1

Right.

Answer 2

It could be any letter of course, but we honor Pythagoras who proved the famous theorem that the square of the hypotenuse was equal to the sums of the squares of the legs. He used Gamma for the hypotenuse, and alpha and beta for the legs. Gamma in Greek alphabet became our C. He did not discover the Pythagorean Theorem, it was know by the ancients, even before recorded history, we believe, but he proved it.
So, once a letter is used by someone, many follow. I have had many students get frustrated by my not using x or y for variables. Such is the way of our mind, we see it one way, and it sticks.