The hypotenuse of a right triangle os 13.0 and one leg is 2.0 units shorter than the other. Find the dimensions of the figure (rounded to the nearest tenth).

Answer 1

longer of the 2 legs .... x
shorter of the 2 legs = x-2

x^2 + (x-2)^2 = 13^2
x^2 + x^2 - 4x + 4 = 169
2x^2 - 4x - 165 = 0

use the quadratic formula to find x, reject the negative answer of x